Relentless Embers
by Gabrielle821
Summary: After the final battle, the Wizarding world wastes no time turning to Harry for help. A series of attacks elicits a mysterious connection between Harry and Ginny. They struggle to get a grasp on the connection in time to combat their foes.
1. Comfort

**Part I- Comfort**

Harry barely heard Ron hesitant statement that he wanted, no needed to go be with his family and could have sworn he imagined both Ron's hesitant request to Hermione to join him and her gentle smile as she raised their joint hands to her mouth and placed a soft comforting kiss to his hand. It was the latter that brought Harry to the present.

"Umm, I think I'll just go . . , that is if you don't mind. . ."

Harry's weary and hesitant response was interrupted by Hermione, "Harry, you probably want some rest, I'm sure everyone understands. . ."

"Yeah, seriously, go get some rest. We now have problems that can afford to wait until tomorrow. . . you've earned some peace and quiet." Ron's trademark, half-smirk lit his face for a moment, though, Hermione realized, it did not quite reach his eyes.

After the slightest moment of hesitation, the battle weary trio reached forward to a hard earned three-way hug. The nightmares of the past weeks, months, maybe even years, haunted at the edges of their periphery, but at this moment all that mattered was that they were together, safe and they had, against all odds, succeeded. Without a word they parted, no one, not even Rita Skeeter could pen how they felt then. Hermione's eyes filled with tears for what must have been the millionth time that year. Ron's eyes showed his determination as he steeled himself to face the tragedy that befell his family and countless others awaiting in the Great Hall. And Harry, Harry looked like a man who just laid down a boulder, the size of which no one should ever have to carry, that he had in fact shouldered for years.

Ron and Hermione left, hand in hand with whispered words of comfort and solace and Harry turned to the fat lady, whose goofy smile and glass full of champagne slipped at the sight of him. Harry opened his mouth realizing at the last moment he did not know the password. The Fat lady, however, whispered, "thank-you," a pause and then, "there is no truer Gryffindor," with that she swung forward opening the entrance and Harry slipped soundlessly through.

On autopilot, Harry made his way to his old dormitory, happy to see it had not been given away to someone else. The state of the room showed just how little slept in it truly was this year. Looking to Neville's usual quarters, that had a distinct appearance of neglect, Harry was forcibly reminded of Neville's recount of life at Hogwarts this last year and with that the demons poured through his mind.

Neville's slaughter of Nagini, Nagini's slaughter of Snape, his mother through Snape's eyes, his march through the forest for what he believed to be the last time, his dad, his mom, Sirius, Lupin. . .Teddy. As the imagines assaulted his mind, a flash of a painful feeling of connection to the boy who would never truly know his parents and the full circle of the cruelty of war hit him, and he was sobbing. His body wracked with heart wrenching sobs, without the burden and responsibility of his mission to keep him in control. Without the hope of an entire world, or perhaps two, resting on his shoulders, his body fell forward, his hands to his knees, as his shoulders shook violently.

At the slightest sound of movement by the doorway Harry's head jerked up, his startlingly green tear-filled eyes met her chocolate ones. Ginny hesitated a breath, as her wind tossed, ginger, hair blew across her face and then she was running toward him. He stood just as she reached him and their bodies crashed together the force of which knocking the wind out of them, but they didn't care. Harry buried his face into her swanlike neck and one hand through her hair as the other held her tightly at the waist. There was no foreseeable chance he was ever going to let her go.

Ginny's arms engulfed him in a bear-like hug, running soothing hands up and down the strong muscles of his back. The sobs continued as her smell assaulted his senses. How he feared dreaming that this moment would be possible one day. How he feared that his feelings would get her killed. How he had no idea what to do now, that the impossible seemed possible.

"Shh, it's alright, just let it out. . ." and further comforting words slipped softly from Ginny's lips as she held him close. They pulled slightly apart, just enough to look straight into each other's eyes and simultaneously they both lifted a hand to the other's cheeks and whipped the respective tears away with a tender caress of the thumb. Their lips met briefly in the most tender of kisses, meant for comfort and assurance.

"I should go back," Harry said, his voice of a dull, weary, tone, resting his forehead against hers, "I need to offer condolences and thanks to. . .people who . . .I-I need to talk to Kingsley, w-we need to make a list of deatheat-" A soft finger to his mouth silenced him and was quickly replaced by the soft lips of the woman he loved.

"Just this once, let me take care of you, Harry. You've already taken care of everyone else, all of that can wait until you've slept. You've sacrificed all one can for the wizarding world, you deserve some rest." Ginny's voice rang out just above a whisper. The gentle insistence and sincerest tone reached Harry's ears and he succumbed, too tired to fight.

But still, "I'm not so sure I'll be able to sleep," Harry admitted softly, his fear of the nightmares that surely awaited him in his sleep permeated to Ginny through his soft admission. Ginny simply took his hands in hers and led him backward until the back of his knees hit the edge of his bed and he sunk down onto it wearily. Ginny knelt down and gently removed his dirt trodden trainers and set them aside. After a short examination of his burnt, holey, and dirt and blood soaked, t-shirt Ginny reached gently for the hem and tugged lightly, Harry willingly lifted his arms so she could remove the offending garment. Ginny's hand reached for his as she lightly caressed the scar on the back of his hand, that still read 'I must not tell lies.'

"You been fighting for so long Harry, longer than perhaps most people realize." Her hands continued to his forearm tracing the long white scar from where Voldemort stole his blood, the scar that now symbolized Voldemort's own downfall.

"And you've won, we've all won," she stated simply, her hands continuing up both of his arms gently kneading the tired muscles as she went. Harry's head fell to the side as he absorbed the sensation.

"You've accomplished the impossible." Her hand laid on his sternum just to the side of his rapidly beating heart, tracing the burnt left behind by the locket. The scar lay far too close to his heart for her comfort, wondering what put it there, she swallowed hard.

"You've been through such pain and sacrifice, you are the most noble and loving person I know, or will ever know." Her caress moved to his cheek and continued to his forehead lightly tracing the line of the infamous lightning scar. Her eyes bore into his own as she continued, "You've proven good can overcome evil, that love can beat hate, and I imagine you've made your parents prouder than any parents could ever be. And. . . I love you."

It was such a heartfelt and pure statement. It left Harry feeling humbled and unworthy. His eyes shined emerald with the depth of his emotions, "I love you too." And he kissed her. Not for the first time, or for the last, and they both knew that. There was no sense of urgency, or fear, no need to use each other to hide from the outside world. This kiss was about nothing more, or less, than their truest and purest feeling of love. After a long moment, they gently pulled apart again resting their foreheads together looking deep into each other's eyes.

"You're what kept me going, through all this," Harry admitted so softly that the words barely reached her ears, "You were the light, the fire, at the end of the tunnel, but I never dared dream we'd be together again, I dreamed only of your safety and . . . happiness, with or without me,"

"Well that's quite alright Harry, because I dreamed about it enough for the both of us." With that, she kissed him fiercely in a uniquely Ginny fashion, as if to prove the truth of her words. Ginny gently eased Harry to lie down onto the bed on his back, she weightlessly climbed onto bed and laid down on her stomach, one hand wrapped around him and her head buried in his shoulder. She felt Harry reach up to gently caress her back and his other hand held her close at the waist. She looked up at him, "Sleep now, Harry and I mean it." He smiled happy to see that the Ginny fire had remained unquenchable and with thoughts on nothing other than his love, he fell into a dreamless sleep.


	2. The Unassuming Leader

Part I- Comfort

Part II- The Unassuming Leader

Harry's eyes opened and he was brought to consciousness abruptly. His first thought was of Hermione and Ron. Where were they? Were they okay? Was it his turn for guard duty? His heart beat rapidly and he remained still as his eyes searched his surroundings. They fell on the beautiful redhead asleep and breathing softly against his bare chest. It was then that the events of yesterday came to him. So much had happened since he last slept, it took his brain awhile to catch-up. His body was unaccustomed to this amount of uninterrupted sleep and he had woken abruptly, ready for a battle that was already over, or at least mostly over.

Ginny's hand resting lightly against his chest began to make soothing circular motions. Harry looked down and found her undisturbed. It seemed even in her sleep she had sensed his distress and was trying to comfort him. It worked. Harry gently swept her hair off her face and left his hand buried there. He relaxed and let his eyes slide close as he glided back into unconsciousness.

"YOU have NO RIGHT to keep him from us. We DESERVE to know what happened!! How do we know You-Know-Who's gone for good!? I don't think any of us want to repeat this all in another ten years!" a nameless angry voice boomed breaking Harry from the peacefulness of his rest. Squinting in the afternoon sunshine, the first thing he noticed was that Ginny was not there. His breath caught in his throat.

"Just back-off, I told YOU he is still sleeping." Relief flooded through Harry as her fiery voice reached him from what must be the common room. She continued, "how dare you demand-"

"He owes us an explanation!!"

"He owes you? He owes you nothing you ungrateful little-"

"Ginny," Mrs. Weasley interrupted warningly. Harry hastened downstairs. It took no brilliant alchemist or seer to deduce that they were talking about him.

Mrs. Weasley had turned her infamous glare to the man, "You _will_ calm down, you have no idea what that boy has been through and all that he has done."

Harry reached the common room and was shocked to see it filled to the brim with silent people avidly listening to the ensuing argument. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley had their back to him, facing the crowd, as if they were literally keeping them from parading upstairs to his dormitory, which, Harry realized, was in fact the case.

Framed in the doorway of the stairs, there was not the "boy" Mrs. Weasley mentioned, but a battle weary man. In his haste Harry had gone downstairs with no shoes and no shirt. Several cameras flashed and Harry resisted the urge to groan.

"GINEVRA WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley had now turned her vehemence on her daughter. "What in Merlin's beard is going on?" Harry looked down guiltily, but Ginny retorted.

"Yeah Mom, he hasn't slept in days. After defeating the darkest wizard of all times and trying to offer himself as human sacrifice, he decided, yeah I think now's a good time to fool around a bit with Ginny, now that I've got everyone good and distracted."

A laugh reached Harry's lips but died abruptly as he realized, "How did you know I planned to die?" Harry asked and the rest the room seemed to melt away until there was nothing but the two of them.

"How else would you have ended up in Hagrid's arms with Voldemort and all his deatheaters thinking you were dead? A clever rouse?" her voice caught, she swallowed hard, and blinked rapidly. "No, I knew you had gone to the forest to sacrifice yourself . . .I felt you go. . ." Ginny's soft voice betrayed the fear and sadness that had befell her when she saw him apparently dead in Hagrid's arms.

Harry reached an arm to her shoulder in a gentle caress, "You felt-? . . I'm sorry Gin-. . ."

But Mrs. Weasley interrupted with a small, "Kids, uh, maybe this can wait," She gestured vaguely to their forgotten, yet enraptured audience, unable to keep a knowing and pleased look off her face. Harry looked up abruptly and seemed shocked to see the crowd still there.

"Harry I'm sorry dear, I didn't mean to make silly assumptions . . . Oh my, are you okay?" It seemed she had just taken in his appearance. In the light of day, the cuts, bruises, and burns in sickly green, red and purple tones shone brightly against the pale skin of his well-toned chest, add that to the scars his incredibly journey had left and you had quite a sight to behold.

"Really Mrs. Weasley I'm fine." He responded looking around desperately as if a shirt was going to just appear before him, like magic. Harry laughed inwardly and pointed his wand vaguely at the dorm rooms behind him, "Accio shirt" and a white shirt zoomed down to him, not caring whose it was Harry slipped it on.

There was a lull of silence as the crowd looked expectantly at Harry realizing they now had his attention and then they all started talking at once. Questions and demands for information hit Harry like the rain of a storm.

Ginny turned to Harry, "Honestly, do you think they'd even notice if we left?" Harry's soft chuckle stopped the crowd short.

"What happened today? We need an explanation!"

Harry turned to the same voice that had awoken him earlier, the man was sneering down at him from his tall stature. He had the most infuriating mustache, thin and curving, that twitched, as he demanded information. There was something about his superior attitude, a mix of Lucius Malfoy, Slughorn, and Ron's great Aunt Muriel, that automatically infuriated Harry.

"What happened today?" Harry's response was full of incredulousness, did this man not understand how complicated that question was? When did today even start, with their trip to Gringotts? Or was that yesterday? Two days ago? Harry shook his head.

"I'll tell you what happened . . . a bunch of teenagers led the resistance. We joined, from different houses, different blood statuses," he spat those words out as if they were poison, "different ages, tired of Voldemort using our own secrecy and prejudice to destroy our world." The audience was silent. "Today, we lost fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, brothers . . ." he gave Ginny's hand still encircled by his own a gentle squeeze and she took a deep shuddering breath. "Today, we fought back, for what's right, not what's easy. We stood together as living beings: mudbloods, pure bloods, part-giants, werewolves and houselves alike. And we took back our lives."

Harry saw Ron and Hermione pushing through the crowd toward him, Hermione's smile of approval and encouragement bolstered his confidence. These people _needed_ to understand, the wizarding world _needed_ to understand.

"How do we know he's not coming back again? How do you know that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is really gone. I mean the rumor is you just used, the disarming spell," the man sounded appropriately chastised, but still combative and disbelieving. A phantom whisper of the words spoken to him long ago echoed in Harry's head, "Do you really think expelliarmus is going to help against You-Know Who?" Harry shook his head slowly at the memory.

"Would you rather I had used Avada Kedavra?" Harry asked quietly. "Sink to his level, resort to his methods . . ." Harry turned pensive for a moment, "what happened when Voldemort and I dueled, was a lot like what happened the night he killed my parents," Harry's eyes seemed unfocused as his gaze fell on no one, but instead out the window.

"Ancient magic is what finished Voldemort. His own killing curse, meant for me . . . again, rebounded upon himself, but this time there was nothing holding what was left of his soul to this earth." Harry might've as well said that Voldemort chocked on a pumpkin pasty for the reaction he got. Harry held up a hand to silence the swelling crowd.

"There is time for more explanations later. Right now, we have more important things to do, catch old deatheaters, make sure that no one tries to become Voldemort's successor, reunite families, spread the word to those in hiding that it's over."

"Yeah! And destroy that filthy muggle-born registration list and free the innocents from Azkaban!" This shout out came from Hermione. Ron let out a whoop of approval.

"Free some houselves!" yelled Ron. And Harry, Ginny, and Hermione laughed. The younger members of the crowd cheered and the adults looked around incredulously.

"Find a new Minister of magic." This came resolutely from Harry. "What we've had in the past didn't work, it only led to secrecy, death, and destruction. This time when we rebuild the wizarding world I want it to last through my children's children. Our world is in shambles. We now have the chance to rebuild from scratch, make drastic changes, not simply rebuild what was there before. We all have a role and an obligation to each other to do this right."

Harry paused a moment, looking shyly to the ground. He was surprised by the amount of emotion and conviction slipping so easily out of his mouth. He had never been one for public speaking and he hated the attention, especially upon noticing Rita Skeeter's faithful quick quotes quill moving at lightning speeds. But Harry's need to make people see that things couldn't simply go back to normal was much stronger than his dislike of the spotlight. Kingsley and Mr. Weasley walked up behind Harry each placing a hand on one of his shoulders. Mr. Weasley dropped a quick kiss to Ginny's cheek. Ginny looked up sadly into her father's eyes from Harry's side and they reached together in a fierce hug. Harry turned to Kingsley, they shook hands and pulled together in a tight quick hug.

"We need you Kingsley." Harry stated resolutely. Kingsley nodded solemnly. He turned to address the crowd.

"The Wizengamot has organized an emergency meeting and has appointed me Temporary Minister of Magic. There is much to be done and we are going to need everyone's help. But now is the time to go be with your families, heal wounds and mourn the brave who were lost."

Between Harry's assurances that it was indeed over and Kingsley's commanding and convincing tone, the crowd began to disperse reassured that the future was in capable hands.

Kingsley turned back to Harry who was now surrounded by Ron and Hermione. "We would have wanted you to be present in that meeting," Kingsley stated addressing the trio, "but we had to get together as quickly as possible. The Wizengamot has special methods not unlike your DA, for organizing quickly. We are going to need your help. All of yours. I hate asking you for it, because you've already given so much, your childhoods really."

"Yeah? Just try keeping us out of it." Ron interrupted with a sarcastic challenge, reminding Kingsley that he had little chance in keeping the ever-busy, overly informed, trio out of the loop. The three chuckled lightly.

"Yeah we're not really very good at minding our own business." Admitted Hermione sheepishly "But blame Dumbledore he's the one who encouraged us." She concluded.

"But honestly," stated Harry "We want to help."

"I knew I could count on you guys. You know eventually I would like to hear about what you've been up to this last year. Was Snape really on our side? And did you really steal a dragon from Gringotts?"

The three laughed uneasily, looking around sheepishly. "Afraid so, on both counts," admitted Ron.

"We'll have to have a long meeting sometime soon," said Harry "But truthfully I don't know how much we'll be able to share. Maybe some of it is best untold." Harry did not notice how this statement made Ginny's deep brown eyes flash. He looked to Hermione and Ron, and they both nodded acknowledging the questions that lay before them. Was the wizarding world ready to learn about horcruxes and learn that the Deathly Hallows were real?

"But," said Harry changing the subject, "what's on the plate for today?"

"No." this came resolutely and simultaneously from Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.

"The three of you are going to eat, shower, sleep and relax. That's it." Mrs. Weasley's authoritative voice always trumped any other and this was no exception. "No work, no rebuilding the wizarding world. Not today anyways." Kingsley smiled at her no comprises attitude.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes welled up and her voice caught as she said, "Fred would have wanted us to, I don't know, celebrate. He'd want us to set off fireworks or something, not mope and jump back into lots of work. Tomorrow we'll mourn. Tomorrow we'll work. Today we remembered who we've lost . . . and celebrate that it's over." Mrs. Weasley was getting herself more worked up as she spoke trying to choke back tears that were in stark contrast to her demands of celebration.

"Okay Mum," said Ron coming forward to wrap her in a hug. We'll do it your way."

"Of course you will," she said sobering up. "Now get cleaned-up I expect to see all of you in the Great Hall for breakfast or lunch or. . . whatever meal we were on." Mrs. Weasley stated resolutely.


	3. Coming Up For Air

Part III- Coming Up for Air

Harry and Ron were the first to head down, feeling refreshed. "Man, can you even remember the last time we ate?" Ron stated clutching is groaning stomach. Harry laughed, some things just never changed. Looking to his surroundings though, he realized many things did. Hogwarts was a disaster. Debris was scattered everywhere, walls had crater sized dents, walking down the hall was like walking through a minefield. They were lucky that it was May, considering the amount of broken windows. There was so much rebuilding to be done.

"Blimey, I could eat a hippogriff," Ron stated pulling Harry from his spiraling thoughts. The two slipped into the Great Hall, sticking to the perimeter so as to avoid being noticed.

Sitting down, Harry asked, "shouldn't we wait for the girls?"

"Nah, I don't think; I-" But Ron's voice was pushed to the background as Harry saw Ginny coming around the corner. And, to Harry, the whole world slowed. She was dressed simply in jeans and a green shirt, and she looked refreshed. Her hair was shiny and seemed to have a little extra flounce, as she entered the hall, it blew back from her face exemplifying its fullness. The light hit the multi-faceted color as it flew back to perfectly frame her face. How did girls do that? He wondered. Ginny was walking with Hermione, a smile on her face, as she exclaimed obvious amusement and delight at whatever Hermione was telling her. The roaring beast in Harry's chest leapt into action and a totally different type of hunger erupted in him. Mid-laugh, Ginny's eyes met Harry's. Harry blushed as she smirked, a knowing look on her face as if she could read the colorful tone of his thoughts.

She made a beeline toward him and promptly dropped a kiss on his lips that Harry immediately deepened past the point of polite PDAs. Hermione's grin stretched until she turned to Ron and saw his poorly concealed anger; his mouth open, poised to interrupt the couple's moment, so she quickly followed in Ginny's footsteps and silenced him with a kiss.

As the girls sat down, they shared a secret smile; loving the effect they had on their now silent, and stunned, men.

"Um, boys, let's eat," Hermione said trying to hold back a laugh.

"I never thought I'd see the day that someone would have to remind Ronald to eat the food that is in front of him." Ginny couldn't help taking the mickey out of Ron. It was her job after all.

"Ha, ha, Ginny," Ron responded as his complexion blended to match his hair, just like a chameleon.

As they finished eating, Ginny leaned into Harry resting her head on his shoulder and relishing in the fact that the four of them were together. Ron tossed a casual arm around Hermione's shoulders. Ginny marveled at how easily those two had shifted away from just friends. They were just so comfortable together, so natural. A camera flashed and an annoying high-pitched voice boomed loudly throughout the hall.

"Well isn't this just cozy!?" Rita Skeeter exclaimed causing the majority of the heads in the great hall to turn to their table. People immediately clamored forward.

"Just the ones I've been looking for, you are quite a difficult man to track down, Mr. Potter. You made quite a stir this afternoon."

Harry turned his head ducking it into Ginny's neck as if in an attempt to hide, "make her go away," he half whispered, half groaned in Ginny's ear. Ginny barely contained her laughter as she shook with mirth.

"Where have you been this last year, Harry?" How is that you were able to defeat," she paused, "_the Dark Lord_?" she whispered in a reverent tone.

"Riddle, you mean," Ginny stated with vehemence interrupting the old cow. "Tom Riddle. Stop calling him '_Lord'_ he was nothing but a vicious murderer. He doesn't deserve to go down in history as anything but a man full of hatred." Harry gave Ginny's hand an appreciative squeeze in total accord.

Rita at first looked taken aback. "Well, well, well, and who are you? The Chosen One's Chosen One? The sister of his best friend...ooo intrigue... seems like Mr. Potter has found himself quite a spitfire. Haven't you always spent holidays with the Weasleys, Mr. Potter? How long have you two been conducting a secret affair? How do you think your late brother, Fred, would feel if you knew what you were up to today Miss Weasley?"

"HOW DARE YOU! LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE!" Harry exclaimed climbing to his feet and pulling Ginny with him. Hermione was struggling with Ron, who seemed ready to sucker punch the cow.

Harry started to storm off yelling back over his shoulder, "And don't even think about following us." With that, he pulled out his invisibility cloak, that he stored on him out of habit, and tossed it over Ginny and him. Hermione pulled Ron in the opposite direction, leaving a silent Great Hall in their wake.

Harry continued to walk until the two of them reached their favorite tree and then he promptly pulled Ginny into his arms, letting the cloak fall to the ground.

"Oh, Ginny, don't let Rita Skeeter get to you." Harry said as Ginny finally succumbed to the tears that had threatened in the Great Hall. She sniffled lightly turning to look at Harry.

"It's not that I think for even a second that Fred wouldn't have approved of you and I- it's just..." she started.

"I know, the wound is still so fresh..." Harry started.

"No, it's not just that, it's…" she took a shuddering breath. "How is that I can feel happy when he's not here? I mean doesn't that make me a horrible person? I was feeling light-hearted and free. How can I feel like that when I know I'll never see him or laugh at one of his jokes again?" Ginny's pain-filled eyes bore deep down in Harry and he wanted nothing more than to take that pain away.

"Gin, Fred would want you to be happy, I know its clichéd, but… it's true." He reached a hand to her cheek and whipped away the falling tear. "Trust me, Gin, the ones who love us never really leave us. Ginny, I know, I-I died. I saw my parents, and Lupin and Sirius and Dumbledore."

Ginny gasped. Wow seemed inadequate. She hesitated as second, "Did it hurt?" Ginny asked.

"No," Harry responded with a sad smile and repeated his godfather's words from his memory, "it's as easy as falling asleep."

Ginny breathed a deep calming breath and allowed Harry to lead her to sit between his legs in the shade of their favorite tree. "But, Gin, it's okay to miss him, but mourning shouldn't stop you from living." And Harry held her as she cried; listened as she shared her favorite Fred stories, and then, they slipped into a light nap. The few hours of sleep they had gotten that morning had not been enough.

"Stupid, stinking Rita Skeeter! I'm still hungry!" Ron exclaimed upon excited the Great Hall.

"Yeah?" Hermione responded a smirk in her voice, "Always hungry...hmmm." A thoughtful expression passed over Hermione's face, the same expression Hermione made when trying to solve a problem. And without warning she pushed Ron sideways into the broom closet they were passing.

"Hermione," a shocked Ron stated clumsily, "What's goin-" Ron tried to ask as Hermione launched herself into his arms.

Ron quickly figured out what was going on and responded in kind. His arms circled her waist pulling her firmly against him. He deepened the kiss, his tongue fiercely dueling with hers. Ron groaned as her fingers found their way under that back of his t-shirt, and lightly traced up and down his back. Ron forgot to breathe. His mouth made its way down her throat and he delighted in the small moan that issued from her lips. Two of his fingers found the bare skin of her midriff as she reached her arms higher. He traced them deftly over the softest skin he'd ever felt, reveling in the involuntary responding twitch under his fingers. Hermione urged him back up to her lips and captured his mouth in her own. Hermione shocked herself with her internal cry to get closer to him. How much closer could they get? She simultaneously realized what getting closer would entail and remembered their location. Slowly easing the kiss from a fevered boil to a soft simmer, she pulled back from him.

"Still hungry, Ronald?" Ron half growled, half laughed at her and thanked his lucky stars for the amazing woman in his arms.

Ron unburied the wooden bench in the back of the small closet and pulled her down to sit with him, "So what's the plan, Hermione?" he asked looking directly into her eyes and reaching for her hand. She looked startled.

"Plan? What plan?" her eyes shifted uneasily away from his. Ron's hand went to her chin and gently turned her back to face him.

"Uh-huh, Hermione I _know_ you. You've been planning. So? What about your parents? What about school? What about life now that we've survived? I know it's killing you to not have any plans or lists right now." Hermione sighed looking sheepish.

"You know me too well ..." Ron reached forward and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yep."

She laughed, God that this sound he could get used to hearing. "I can't say that I haven't been thinking about bringing my parents back, but I'm still worried about retaliation from Voldemort's followers. I mean, they are so insanely devoted to Voldemort, I can't imagine what they'd do to avenge him," she trailed off looking down again.

"And?" Ron gently prompted.

Sighing Hermione stated, "... I'll ...I'll have to tell them everything, everything I've been keeping a secret over the years. I'll have to tell them I dropped out of my last year of school, risked my life, dealt with problems much bigger than me without asking for their help and that ... that I, I- used magic against them and altered their memories ... made them forget me..." As the tears rolled down her cheeks, Ron pulled her to him.

"Shh, it's okay, we can set all that right."

Hermione looked into his eyes with a tone of desperation she asked, "what if they won't want to remember me after I tell them everything? What if I've disappointed them so much they ask me to redo it and remove myself from their memories permanently."

"Hermione," Ron stated strongly, "Ain't gonna happen. You are amazing; and everything you did, you did because you love them. They'll see that, we'll make sure they do."

"You're right, I hope ...I'm being silly, I mean you just lost y-your brother. I should be comforting you." A shadow passed over Ron's features, but then cleared.

"That's what you've been doing all morning. Besides, I thought that's what you were doing when you mauled me and dragged me in here for a good snog fest?" And with that she smacks his shoulder unable to keep the smirk off her face.

Having just apparated to the most dingy and remote place he'd ever been, the man slowly dragged himself to what appeared to be a rotting log. Sitting down with a huff and a sneer, he grabbed the small stub of a branch with his left arm. Out of nowhere, a vine reached up and encircled the now mobile imprint on his arm. Having past the test, the man held onto the log tighter as it began to rotate, but instead of hitting his head and knees into the ground, the moss carpet faded away and the man found himself now upside down on the ceiling of a large, dark, chamber. Despite his age, he flipped like a young kid off the monkey bars, landing crouched low on his feet. He rose slowly and took in the few, too few, people surrounding him.

"Sewlyn...Scabbior," he nodded as he greeted them with no emotion, as he limped over to the magically preserved food stock in the corner. He grabbed the nearest thing and sat to consume it staring off gloomily.

Scabbior slunk over to him menacingly. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Eating, you insolent fool," he responded with a light smile on his face.

"Dolohov, you are one of the original servants to the Dark Lord. How can you be so calm!?" Scabbior yelled as he tore the food out of Dolohov's hand.

"What is it you suggest I do?" responded Dolohov in the same infuriatingly calm voice.

"No true follower of the Dark Lord would dare ask that question. We must attempt to resurrect the Lord, and if not, avenge him!"

"He will not be resurrected." The gasp of incredulousness and muttering of blasphemy did not stop him as he continued calmly. "The Dark Lord is truly dead this time. There is no bringing him back."

"Lies!" hissed Sewlyn.

"How can it be true?" exclaimed Scabbior.

"That _Potter_," he spat on ground, "as worthless, weak and talentless as he may be, was well informed. He destroyed all of Voldemort's work towards immortality." This time he was met with silence. "BUT REVENGE WE SHALL SEEK!" Dolohov yelled unexpectedly with a growling snarl. The other two looked at each other shocked at the display of emotion. Never before had Dolohov broken his calmly menacing demeanor. Shaking off his grimace and returning to his apathetic tone, he continued, "But first we wait. Surely others will come ... They wouldn't dare to make the same mistake." A sinister smile slowly slid up his features, though it contained no warmth. "Then we will take out Potter's loved ones," he states mockingly, "One, by one, by one. Let them celebrate now, for soon Potter will learn that love is only a weakness, his Achille's heel."


	4. Not So Alone

Part III- Coming Up for Air

Part IV- Not So Alone

Sleeping peacefully, Harry was lounged back against the perfect contour of his and Ginny's favorite tree. Ginny lay between his legs curled to her side with a fistful of Harry's tear-dampened shirt tight in her hand. Slowly they stirred; the late afternoon sun warm on their skin. As she became more aware, Ginny loosened her grip on Harry's shirt; sheepishly, she smoothed the damp crinkled fabric. Harry's breath caught as Ginny continued to trace her hand along the planes of his chest long after his shirt was smooth. Harry's eyes fluttered, and after the slightest moment of hesitation, he threaded both hands through her hair and pulled her closer, kissing her thoroughly. Ginny shifted in his arms in an attempt to get closer, kissing him back with equal fervor. Harry ripped his lips away taking a staggered breath. "Gin-" Ginny's questioning eyes searched his face. "We...we should slow down," Harry responded with difficulty.

"Right, of course," said Ginny with a smirk. She continued to hold his gaze and then slowly, purposefully, dropped her eyes to his lips and her tongue darted out to where she could still taste him on her lips. A small groan escaped Harry's lips as they crashed back together, moth to the flame. Their kissing grew in intensity. Harry couldn't contain a second groan as she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, ran her tongue along it and then slowly released it through her teeth. After that, there was no stopping his tongue from demanding entrance to the intoxicating chamber of her mouth. She twisted around in an attempt to get closer without breaking the kiss. Then there was an unexpected exquisite friction as she straddled and settled into his lap. Harry had never before been filled with this sort of torturous bliss that accompanied the warmth and pressure that fell in all the right places. He knew Ginny could feel his groan vibrate against her lips. He tangled his hands further into her beautiful hair afraid of where they may go if they weren't so happily occupied in her soft tresses.

They separated, both taking a haggard breath, in the briefest of seconds. Almost immediately they were drawn inexplicably back together. Then, there was a sudden flash of light, like the glowing embers of a fire, against the lids of Harry's eyes and a rather peculiar sensation rolled over his chest. With the flowing change of colors from red to yellow that splashed against his closed eyelids, came a sudden warmth spreading through him. He felt the peculiar sensation of a new set of emotions joining his own. Instinctively, Harry knew what he felt was uniquely Ginny. He felt her happiness to be with him, her need to forcibly remind herself that this was not a dream and, in the periphery, her fear that he would leave her again. In that strange moment it felt as if two consciences had joined and flowed together seamlessly. The gleam of embers seemed to bring a strong current of power. Magic flowed in and out of him, empowering and electrifying.

"Oi!'" The interruption was poorly timed and incredibly abrupt. Ginny shook her head slightly trying to regain her surroundings. Harry looked up in time to see several angry Weasleys stalking toward him, and not far behind them, a long string of adults. Ginny's throat released a small squeak of embarrassed frustration as she nervously patted down her hair and disentangled herself from Harry. Harry looked down at her out of character discomfort. He pulled down lightly on the hem of her shirt to cover the thin slice of midriff that had peaked out and reached to smooth and tuck her hair behind her ears.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes focused only on her.

She nodded and spoke quietly, "Harry did you see that? Did you feel it?" But her question would be left unanswered as Percy stormed up to Harry.

"Look, I know you just saved the whole wizarding world and all, but that's still my baby sister. And I will hurt you, well ...at least one of her brothers, will ..." Harry slanted his eyes at Percy and then helped Ginny to her feet gently. Just then the parade of ministry officials reached them, "We'll continue this later," and echoes of "later" permeated from several ginger-haired men.

"Harry, we've been looking for you." Harry's face crinkled in incredulity, as he saw none other than Cornelius Fudge.

Harry opened and closed his mouth several times trying to find the words then finally "Why?" slipped out.

"I've been speaking with other members of the ministry, and we all," Fudge said indicating to the men around them and putting a sad smile on his face, "have some questions for you." Fudge's "kind" voice only put Harry off more.

"_You're_ working with the ministry again?" This came from Ginny who seemed as incredulous as Harry felt.

"Of course my dear girl," Fudge answered in his condescending voice, "I have stayed on as a consultant since, well, since Scrimgeour became the Minister. Rest his soul. As I was saying, Harry we were wondering what you wanted us to do with You Know Who's body?"

"What _I_ want you to do with it?"

"Why yes, no one seems to know what to do with it." Fudge shuddered a bit at the idea of handling Voldemort's body.

The demanding man from earlier that afternoon stepped forward then. "I didn't get a chance to introduce myself in the confusion of this afternoon." Confusion? Thought Harry, more like irrational shouting.

"I'm Pierre Navier, Senior Press Secretary. We also thought you could make a statement to the press about how you killed him, you know, just gloss over the events leaving out anything too upsetting. And then perhaps you could reassure them that the Ministry is quickly rounding up Death Eaters."

Harry raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as his eyes squeezed shut. Ginny raised a hand up and down his back soothingly. He turned to her, and for a brief moment she saw the weariness. Staring into Ginny's big brown eyes, Harry gained the patience and determination he needed. He pulled up his shoulders, standing taller as he turned back to Fudge and Navier.

"Let's ignore for a second that you want me to make funeral arrangement for Voldemort and that you'd like me to lie to the public about how great you guys are at catching Death Eaters," Harry said voice dripping in sarcasm. "You also want me to explain how I killed Voldemort, but make it a happy, upbeat, story?!"

"Now listen here, boy," said Fudge defensively. "Don't take that tone with me. You must see the need of the Ministry to present a united front." Ginny could feel the frustration rolling off Harry in waves. She silently wrapped one of Harry's hands in both of hers.

"Yes," sighed Harry exasperated. "There is a need for a united front. But continuing the secrets and lies is fruitless." Harry sighed, looking much older than his years. He missed Ginny's intense worried stare. Bill then stepped forward before Harry could continue.

"Where's Kingsley? Where does he stand on all of this?"

"Oh, uh... we-" Navier stumbled. "We haven't really discussed all this with him. He just asked us to, uh- find Harry so he could talk to him." Bill sighed and shook his head.

"Perhaps we should all go have a talk with Kingsley," Percy added with finality and stalked off not waiting for the rest to follow him. One by one they filed off, but Ginny remained, pulling lightly on Harry's hand as he started to go. Harry looked at her and smiled briefly, thanking her for her strength with his eyes. He pulled her closer to press a light kiss to her temple. And then he pulled her along with him.

The sun was setting now on the grounds at Hogwarts. Harry turned to watch the sun go down out the window of the classroom he currently occupied. It felt strange and mind-boggling to realize how much had happened since he saw it rise this morning, bright orange on the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall. as he and Voldemort finally finished the path they began when Harry was just a baby. Voldemort was no longer the number one thing on his mind. The prophecy was complete. Even the _thought_ felt strange to him. A part of him thought that it'd be years before he got to this point, if he ever managed to get here. The other part felt like it had been a decade since they'd set-off to destroy the Horcruxes.

A soft hand on his knee brought his him back to the present and he looked around to see Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Kingsley and several other Ministry representatives surrounding a table in the makeshift meeting place that the classroom had became.

They had spent the last several hours compiling their knowledge of Death Eaters. They especially took notice of those who were missing. To Harry the most worrisome was Dolohov, one of Voldemort's oldest and most loyal servants. He had last been seen fighting with Flitwick but no one had seen hide or hair of him since.

"You're sure that it doesn't matter how we dispose of You Know Who's body?" Navier looked down his pointed nose at Harry. With every word the man uttered Harry grew to dislike him more.

"Tom Riddle's body is just that, a body. It holds no special power, it cannot be revived." The words were stated slowly and patiently, if a bit wearily. Navier seemed very insistent that Harry must be mistaken.

Kingsley watched worriedly over the four young people in the room. After taking in the wearied faces and slumping postures, he quickly tried to prioritize the things that needed to be hashed out right now.

"Tomorrow there will be a large memorial for those we lost in the final battle. Details are still being pulled together. There will undoubtedly be a huge turnout. There is a monument being constructed on the grounds to honor the fallen. Harry?"

Harry brought his downcast gaze up to Kingsley in response. Kingsley continued reluctantly, "There are many who have asked, and hope, that you will speak at the service. They want to hear that their loved ones sacrifice was worth something. Also the centaurs will be having their own service to honor their lost and have requested your presence. . . And we have received several inquiries and pleas for your presence at individual services over the upcoming days."

Hermione and Ginny watched Harry worriedly as they could almost literally see him accept this new burden of responsibility as it fell heavily on his shoulders. People needed a help to see the light through the murky waters of grief and they were placing all hope, again, on Harry.

Hermione responded first, "Harry, you can't be everyone's savior forever. You do what you feel is right, what you feel you are capable of doing. It is not your job to heal all wounds."

Harry seemed to accept this; at least he believed it logically, even if his gut was screaming that many of these deaths were on his hands. The long list of 'if only's ...' flowed unendingly through his mind.

"I'll speak tomorrow ... and attend the centaurs' memorial as well. The rest ... I'll have to wait and see." Seeing the objecting looks on Ron's, Hermione's and Ginny's faces, he softly added, "No. I-I want to feel like I can do something. If I can give people some sense of acceptance, or closure, than I will."

"Admirable, Harry, not that we'd expect anything less." Tiberius Ogden, one of the elder Wizengamot representatives stated with a touch of sadness in his tone. Harry remembered him faintly as one of the Wizengamot members who had stood faithfully in support of Dumbledore in Harry's 5th year and responded with a ghost of a smile.

"Now," Kingsley stated picking up the meeting's thread again, "I think that is all that needs to be dealt with at the moment." He held up a hand as some started to object. "We have the information we need to make the necessary provisions for the immediate future. Now is not the time to start the recount of a year long struggle." He turned back to the two couples, "Hogwarts has been secured. You are safe here for now, and I do not think it would be wise to leave right now without taking serious precautions."

They all nodded in agreement, too tired to think of traveling much further than the dormitories.

"We should meet again soon, within the week perhaps?" Kingsley asks, again receiving nods in accord.

Hermione then spoke up, slightly hesitant, "Um. I would like to be present when you start discussing your plans for the future of Hogwarts, if that is alright. I, uh, just feel there are some things that we might be able to help with and some concerns I have about the brainwashing that has been going on here and its effect on the younger students' minds."

"We will be honored to have your opinions and would love your help and insight," Ogden replied smiling kindly, with resolution.

With a scrape of chairs, the first meeting was complete. Different generations came together and for once, the old and wise listened and learned from the young but experienced.


	5. Confrontations

Part V- Confrontation

Part V- Confrontations

The four drudged upstairs to the dormitories. Ron was almost carrying Hermione; she was leaning on him so heavily.

"Do you think there will ever be a time when we don't feel this tired?" Ron suddenly demanded.

Harry chuckled lightly, "I don't think we can make up for a year of insomnia in one day."

They walked through the portrait hole and had an awkward moment of hesitation, as the two couples stood holding hands facing each other. Neither couple wanted to segregate boys and girls, but no one wanted to admit that out loud. Harry looked away as he contemplated telling Ron how much he would like to wrap his arms around his little sister and hold her while he slept. He started to shake slightly as he held in his laughter at the thought of Ron's reaction. But the moment was broken by the sudden appearance of Mrs. Weasley through the portrait hole, followed closely by Kreacher.

"There you lot are!" She observed them critically. "Food," she added resolutely; "then sleep."

"Master Harry! Master Harry! You is defeated the Dark Lord. You is honoring Master Regulus! But you no good and taking care of you-self," Kreacher stated his elation turning critical. "Treacle tart. Mama Weasel is right. Food!" and in a flash Kreacher was gone returning momentarily with several other houselves, all of them carrying trays ladden with food.

Kreacher watched avidly, bouncing around the four of them as they chowed down the incredible spread, the other houselves stood stock still staring wide-eyed.

"Kreacher, why don't you sit down?" Harry stated to at least get him to sit still.

There was a gasp and several small hands went to cover several small mouths as they stared avidly at Harry.

"Psh, mate! Overkill," Ron repeated his old line, rolling his eyes as Kreacher sat down turning to the others elves with a knowing look that screamed, 'I told you so.'

Hermione turned to one of the female houselves and asked kindly how the houselves were all doing, and if anyone had gotten hurt yesterday. Softly the elf spoke back looking at her feet, "We fought bravely and we is proud to help Master Harry. Some of ours. . . is hurt. But they is resting."

"Oh, do they need help? Do they need a healer?" Hermione asked, her brows pulling together in concern.

"Friend of Harry Potter, there is no need to worry. They is alright now. We have our own magic to help with small hurts. But, miss, we is no allowed to go see a healer."

"What!?" yelled Harry and Hermione.

"It's true," said Ron quietly, "St. Mungo's doesn't admit houselves." Harry and Hermione shook their heads.

Harry turned to look at Kreacher, "If anyone needs any help, Kreacher, you come find me." The fierce tone of his voice assured Kreacher, and Hermione, that Harry meant every word of it.

Ron turned to address them all, "You know there is a memorial in honor of those who fought . . . I think you guys should come."

Hermione snuggled deeper into his arms, placing a small kiss on his jaw line in approval. Harry nodded and felt the beginnings of a speech start to formulate in his mind. The thought of tomorrow may have brought on the lion sized yawn, or perhaps it was just sheer exhaustion.

"Bedtime!" yelled Kreacher and Mrs. Weasley in unison. Under the watchful eye of Mrs. Weasley, Harry and Ron regretfully turned to the boys' dormitories and slowly released the women in their arms

"Ginny!" Harry gasped as he sprang forward, the breath rushing out of his lungs. Sweat poured down his back and into his eyes as Harry slowly came back to the present. 'Oh God, oh God!' he thought. Those red eyes still burned his retinas as the image of Voldemort torturing Ginny and then handing her over to Greyback to finish the job played over and over in his mind. The taunting words, "You think you deserve love, Potter? You taint and you hurt everyone who loves you. Look at your parents, Sirius, Lupin, Dumbledore, Dobby, Tonks, Fred. . ." reverberated in his head. Each name was like a physical blow to his chest. Pain pounded in his ears as he couldn't stop the nightmare from replaying. He stumbled out of the room and down the stairs clinging to the wall, needing to escape. The common room seemed deserted, and he fell over to a couch.

"Harry," said a soft concerned voice.

"No," he responded, "Go away, it's not safe. I'm not safe."

"Harry, please. . ." Ginny's soft voice broke with concern. Harry finally looked up into her eyes. His fear and pain hit her like a stunning spell to the chest. He swiftly wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight to his chest. His hands never stopped moving as they searched from some unknowable injury. "You're alright," he said more to himself than to her. "You're safe."

"So are you, Harry. We're _all_ alright now. We're all safe."

Harry pulled back abruptly. "No, I can't do this. I _can't._ I love you too much, can't you see that? I am cursed. I only bring pain to those around me. It's not safe."

Harry stood up and walked over to the window, staring out broodingly. Ginny sighed sadly and with exasperation. She knew Harry well enough to have been expecting this moment. Suddenly, she stood up and followed him.

"Stop it, Harry," she said forcefully as a gentle but firm hand pushed him back against the wall. She leaned forward so that their bodies touched all the way down to their toes. One hand went to either side of his face, effectively trapping him there. He had no choice but to look straight into the deep chasm of her warm eyes.

"No more of this. I won't accept it. No more blaming yourself for the world's problems. No more constantly trying to push those who love you away. No more protecting me. I'm done with it. You, my brothers, my parents, I won't take it anymore. I am a self-sufficient woman and one hell of a witch. Don't patronize me. I let you push me away before because I knew, at the time, that's what _you_ needed. Now is different. Now, you need to heal." Her voice softened as she took in his pain-filled eyes. Fear, anxiety, remorse, and uncertainty shimmered on the surface. "No more secrets," she kissed him forcibly, and he resisted standing stock still, his lips unmoving under hers. Slowly, he started to move as his mouth formed to fit hers and parted slightly to deepen the kiss. "You need to talk about this." Harry looked away and whispered, "I know." For a second, Ginny was surprised.

"I don't want to push you away. This year has been so long in so many ways. I-I've learned a lot, about me, about life, and I don't want to forget it. But-"

"Self-sacrifice is in your nature," Ginny finished his sentence wryly. "I know it is so engrained in you to try to protect those around you by hurting yourself and pushing them out, but," she shrugged with a small smile at the corner of her lips, "it doesn't have to always be that way."

"Doesn't it?" Harry asked his voice broken. "I mean, look at my past. You can't tell me you haven't noticed that the people I love tend to get hurt. But still, I selfishly want you with me, . . . but I'm afraid, t-terrified of losing you."

"Harry, wanting to be happy is not selfish. I don't want you to have this misplaced guilt over me. We are safer together. I feel it in my bones. It's the same feeling that pulled me out of bed and down here in the middle of the night. I know it like I knew you tried to leave this world forever. It's indescribable."

"Like a pull really deep," Harry said, his fingers pushing into his sternum. Their eyes locked for a long minute as understanding flowed freely between them.

"What do you think it means?" Harry asked as he reached for her hand. "Is it normal?"

"Knowing us, I doubt it." She smiled as they curled up together on the sofa. "But it feels right. I like feeling like I'd know if something was going on with you. Like tonight. . ." she said leadingly, "Nightmares?"

She felt more than saw his affirmation. "Tell me," she encouraged him to lay down, his head resting in her lap.

"It was Voldemort. He was taunting me. He . . . . he h-had y-you." Ginny ran soothing fingers through his hair. "He was hurting you. . . ."

"And before that dream. . ." Harry sighed, of course, inexplicably, she knew there was more.

"It was Dobby. I kept reliving that horrible scene and the Malfoy manor, Hermione's screams of pain and Dobby . . . each time I am too slow to save Dobby from that dagger. But every time I try harder, knowing it won't help."

Harry's eyes closed and his face was scrunched in a grimace as he tried to stop the tears from forming. Ginny's heart broke at the anguished expression. But her hand never stopped the repetitive pattern through his hair digging her fingers deeper to massage his scalp. Harry sighed as his expression smoothed.

"Tell me how it really happened. How did you end up at the Malfoys'?" With a sigh, Harry began the retelling of his story. And he didn't stop. The more he told her, the lighter he felt. The tight, heavy feeling in his chest literally loosened; the weight lifted. Ginny made it so easy. She didn't interrup; she didn't scowl as he explained his doubts and frustration with Dumbledore. She just continued her caress adding understanding noises every now and again. As they came full circle, Harry looked up at Ginny, "You have no idea how amazing that feels."

"This?" Ginny asked gesturing to her hand, "or finally sharing it all."

"Both," he smiled up at her, suddenly sitting up. "What did I do to deserve you?" he murmured as he closed the space separating them. The kiss was soft, full of healing and promise. The kiss marked a beginning of a relationship on even footing. The two curled together seamlessly and feel asleep wrapped tight in each other's arms.

The early morning light was dim, casting a warm glow in the mostly dark common room. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came down quietly, whispering to one another.

"It feels so strange to be here with you again. Especially because I feel like we should be sneaking around."

Molly laughed lightly in response, but no smile reached her eyes. "I hope they can put this place back together. I wonder, though, the kids who have spent the last few years here, will this place ever feel safe to them? Will their Hogwarts memories always be tainted by what's happened here?"

Arthur pulled her tight to him, "Mollywobbles," he sighed. "You can't save and protect them all."

She sighed, "I know. Arthur, I'm really worried about them. We still don't know what they went through this last year. All three of them seem so different, older, wiser. I know they're not kids anymore, but . . . I want them to have some sort of adolescence. I mean, look at Harry, he takes such a burden onto himself. People are demanding too much of him. Ron and Hermione try so hard to lighten his load, but he's going to need so much more" she stopped abruptly because just then she and her husband realized they were not alone. There, on the couch, was the subject of their conversation. Curled together seamlessly with not a breath of air between them, were Harry and Ginny. Ginny's head was tucked under Harry's chin resting on his arm; their legs were both bent and curled equally, spooning. Ginny shifted and Harry mirrored it to match as their chests rose and fell in sync, breathing together. Mrs. Weasley's breath caught as her hand came to her throat. She felt like an intruder on a very private moment.

Harry's other hand moved lightly down Ginny's arm everywhere his fingers touched a small explosion of color erupted on Ginny's skin. Millions of tiny specks, red, orange, yellow and pink spread on her arm from each of Harry's fingers like miniature fireworks. As Harry's hand moved, so too did the luminescence.

"Molly. . .? Do you see. . .?" She could only nod in response as they stood transfixed. Then Harry stretched slightly and Ginny stretched to match. With no warning, Ginny turned in his arms and kissed him fiercely. Her arms constricted around him. Harry's hand flitted down her waist to her leg and swiftly pulled entangling their lower bodies.

"Ahem," came stiffly from Mr. Weasley.

Harry opened his eyes, his mouth still on Ginny's as his gaze shifted falling on the two adults, and then he quickly pulled away. He was dazed, shocked that he was awake, trying to decide where the dream ended and the reality began. Ginny ducked her head into his shoulder and slowly they pulled to a sitting position.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Weasley demanded, not knowing whether to be angry or laugh. It was his only daughter, his baby, but Harry was like a son. . . this left him in a confused haze; add to that the hilariously guilty expression on Harry's face, and Mr. Weasley was left in the limbo of two conflicting emotions. As the emotions battled it out inside him, he smirked, then scowled and then shook his head.

"I uh, we were just-"

"Do you want to explain to me why you had your hands all over my baby girl?" The anger had won. And to Harry's dismay, Bill, Charlie, Percy and George came trouncing through the portrait hole, brooms in hand and eyes narrowed as they heard their father's demand.

"And where have you boys been? It's barely sunrise!" demanded Mrs. Weasley.

"Couldn't sleep," Bill said looking pointedly at George, as the four brothers came stalking through to stand right in front of Harry. Arms crossed and anger set in their features, they stared down at him.

"Just what were you doing with our little sister?!" Harry hastily stood up, though it did little to compensate for the height difference. And they encircled him.

"What are you two doing so early!? Were you together all night!?"

"Boys," came warningly from Mrs. Weasley. As "calm down," came from Mr. Weasley.

"Look, I'm sorry. Just relax. I didn't even know I was awake," Harry hastened to explain looking over at Mr. Weasley. "Seriously, I thought I was sleeping."

Percy leaned in poking Harry in the chest, effectively locking Harry into the tight circle and squeezing Ginny to the outside, "Do you really think now is a good time to tell us you are having sex dreams about our sister?" came out in a harsh whisper. "How dare you take advantage of her and her grief. You think you can just come home as some hero and take whatever you want?"

Now Harry was angry, his eyes tightened with his fists as he ground his teeth. "Stop it! How can you even say that!? I will not let you cheapen what is between Ginny and I. I was having nightmares, okay?" Harry yelled, his expression screamed his disdain for sharing this information, even stronger than his voice. At that moment, Ginny managed to squeeze back in. She took the hand that Harry was using to rub out the headache that was quickly forming and looked at her brothers.

"I found Harry down here, upset, and we talked and we fell asleep. Not that it's any of your business anyway. This morning I woke up and _I_ attacked _him_. I am not a little girl. You don't have a say in this. Plus it's not like this is some new thing, we've been . . . involved since last year." The four boys looked outraged. "But come on, it's HARRY. Is there someone else you'd rather I was with?"

"No, of course not, Ginny," said George quietly. "You know, Fred always told me that you two were an inevitability. We worried about Ron's reaction, but apparently we were off on that one," he said looking pointedly at his other brothers.

The boys seemed to respond to George and relaxed a bit.

"Boys," Ginny said sounding so much like her mother. "Apologize."

They looked sheepishly to the ground.

"Sorry, man."

"Yeah sorry, it's just she's our baby sister, ya know?" Ginny rolled her eyes at this.

Harry nodded and yawned, "So, were you guys playing Quidditch?" he asked pointing to the brooms in hand.

"No, we just flew around the grounds," said Charlie. "It's so different at night. And it feels more than a little rebellious to be out past curfew. But I'm sure you know all about the grounds at night. . ." Harry smiled sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders, knowing all was forgiven. He turned to see Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking quietly to one another.

"I think we should let it go for now," Mr. Weasley said hushed. "There's too much going on, we can't ask them now."

"Yeah, I think you're right. Like he needs more to deal with . . .We're going to have a hard time enforcing rules and boundaries after this year, aren't we?"

Mr. Weasley smiled back wryly. Just then the whole group fell silent as two laughing voices echoed from the stairway, leading to the boys' dormitory. Hand in hand Ron and Hermione appeared into the common room. The shock was etched plainly on their faces and the whole barely morning crew burst into hysterics.

"What are YOU TWO doing?" yelled an exasperated Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum! We're were just, um we were trying to…"

"Not get caught," finished Charlie.

Both Hermione and Ron turned so brilliantly red, that the whole group exploded into laughter.

"We'll talk later," Mr. Weasley said to Ron. "Come on, everyone, let's get breakfast before the whole castle's awake.

The sky was too blue and the forest too quiet, as thousands of wizards gathered on the Hogwarts grounds. Even more white chairs were set up than at Dumbledore's funeral. To one side, Harry and Hermione were the only breaks in a sea of redheads, all leaning consolingly against one another. Fred's funeral was to be the next day, but the whole Weasley clan had come to the memorial in honor of all those lost in the final battle. Harry sat ramrod straight, staring at the statue as it was revealed; a wizard, a witch, a centaur and a house elf all stood arms spread defending a model of Hogwarts, the words at the bottom were emblazoned, "For What's Right." Ginny hugged herself tight to his shoulder from her seat at the end of the aisle, and Hermione, on his other side, squeezed his hand. Ginny had stuck by him silently all morning as he planned what to say and to help him avoid the masses of people who wanted to talk to him. He knew he'd have to talk to them all after the service, but he just couldn't face them until he had had his time to mourn and prepare to face the emotional upheaval that this service would be.

The service was coming to an end and Kingsley was talking. His strong confident voice was soothing, yet inspiring. As he came to the end of his speech, he revealed the new monument on the grounds.

"The idea for this statue was inspired by a young man who knows and understands the tragedy left by this dark movement all too well. He was the rallying point for all of our brave fighters inspiring us all to take back our lives. He is unequivocally the reason why this dark era is over, ladies and gentlemen, Mister Harry Potter."

Harry stood shakily to his feet, not letting go of Ginny's hand until it was absolutely necessary. Oblivious to the tumultuous applause, he walked straight to the podium; face after face of the people lost flashed in his mind's eye. He felt the cost of this new peace like a corporeal entity. He turned slowly to face the crowd.

"For what's right . . . Not what's easy," he stated slowly, looking out over the lake, letting those words saturate the crowd. "Professor Dumbledore said that to me years ago. He always emphasized choice; the ability to choose what's right; to choose to act, and to choose to fight." Finally he looked up, his green eyes were glazed with a thinnest layer of tears. "But much more importantly, he emphasized the choice we all had to love. For years he went on and on about love, like it was the answer to everything. It used to frustrate me so much. In the face of so much loss and tragedy, how could I possibly believe that love would save us all, that love could win. The forces of hate felt so much stronger . . . for so long. But," Harry sighed, his eyes sought through the audience, from the centaurs standing in the back, the house elves seated far off to his right and over past all the witches and wizards.

"He was, of course, right, as he so often was. The brave people who fought did not fight because they hated Voldemort. They didn't fight because they were angry at the way our world had changed. They fought because they loved all of you. The only place that would give them the courage to come up against such a strong unknowable dark force was in their hearts. Now, as we grieve, we must remember that and honor it. They don't want our anger; they do not want to find someone to blame for their deaths; they fought and died for love, so their families and friends could live better lives."

Harry took a deep breath, again surprised at himself and the passion spilling out of his mouth almost naturally. He awkwardly raised his hand to scratch behind his ear and he ducked his head shyly. His eyes met Mrs. Weasley's and the tears and approval there, and then Ginny's, and he found the strength to continue.

"If we all remember, each day, what they fought for and not what they fought against, perhaps we can fill the void left by these people with love and not hate. If we make a promise to each other, to ourselves, and to the people we've lost that we will make sure their purpose for fighting is not forgotten, we can honor them and make the better world they envisioned.

"The last few years have left far too many children without parents. Trust me, they will go their whole lives thinking about and imagining their parents. It is our duty to help these lost children understand, to ensure they know their parents and that they know the heavy price we had to pay to receive this new world of peace.

"If we teach the children to understand, and work ourselves to remember the price so many paid, perhaps we can stop looking at our neighbors and seeing only their blood status. Perhaps we can look past our old prejudice and see that centaurs deserve their own land and that goblins deserve access to wands and that house elves deserve rights and freedoms. For in the end, we are all living, breathing, thinking beings. We've seen the weed this prejudice root can lead to." Harry smiled sadly looking at Ron and Hermione, they had helped him plan that part of the speech.

"There are so many things in life that are not fair; that these people had to give up their lives, all the people who will never know these brave beings, but that does not mean we can't strive to make the world fairer, more positive. Evil is going nowhere. One headmaster of this school once told me that the battle for good is never ending; another headmaster told me that the dark arts are ever-changing and adapting. One friend," Harry took a moment to swallow past the emotion that inhibited his breathing, "who was also lost in the last year, Alastor Moody taught me, constant vigilance. Now is not the time to grow complacent, we must stay alert to the potential danger that is. . ."

"BAM" a blast that was louder than a hundred giants jumping simultaneously erupted. Chairs soared into the air and splintered; people scrambled to take cover and find the source of this calamity. Smoke crowed the grounds and added to the mass hysteria.

As the smoke began to clear, dark hooded figures appeared at the perimeter of the seating area. They all staring intently at Harry, silently enjoying the screams of terror. Harry was already wand out and feet planted. He disarmed the three closest to him before most people realized what was happening.

One of the figures rushed forward at Harry and sent a menacing red spark right at him. Harry ducked and the newly erected statue took the blow instead. Three men surrounded him and Harry started sending off stunning spell after stunning spell. Thankfully the people in the seats were coming out of their haze of confusion. Neville and Ron had one Death Eater cornered, and Hermione was aiding elderly people to cover. Under the streak of red sparks of the last "Expelliarmus" he had expelled, Harry saw a figure attack Hermione from the back, he made to shout a warning, but Hermione yelled, "Protego" and blocked the curse as Harry's opponent's wand soared past his ear.

"OH HAAARRR-YYYYY," came a taunting voice from the far side of the clearing. Harry's head jerked to where the Weasley clan had been sitting. Dolohov, he thought with vehemence. The voice was magically magnified. "TELL THEM ALL TO STOP FIGHTING OR…" he dragged Ginny into view, his wand at her throat as another was trying to keep her still, holding her tight along the waist, one hand clamped firmly on her mouth, "SAY GOOD-BYE TO THIS PRETTY THING."

"STOP!" shouted Harry automatically, hoping that the others had been successful in disarming their men. The whole crowd froze and turned to stare at Harry with fear. If Harry had been able to tear his eyes from Ginny's he would have seen the Weasleys nearby tense and immobile except for the trembling of fury.

Suddenly, Ginny managed to rip an arm free and dive her hand for her wand, but just as quickly two men snapped her into a vice grip, each holding an arm and a leg, forcing her to stand stiff and motionless.

Harry's breath was now coming out in ragged huffs as he tried to control his temper. Dolohov circled around Ginny and her two captors. He leaned over Ginny's shoulder and turned his nose into her neck inhaling deeply. Ginny flinched to the side as his hand reached up to caress the exposed skin of her neck.

"I must say, Harry Potter, I like your taste," he taunted with an empty smile. Harry's wand emitted sparks into the ground from where it was hidden behind his leg. Harry saw red; he didn't think he had ever felt this level of fury before, and didn't think anything would ever be able to make him angrier than he was now, or more afraid. But he was wrong, Dolohov's hand trailed over Ginny's stomach pulling her tight against him. Dolohov liked this advantage, using Harry's _love_ as a distraction and a bodily shield.

Ginny met Harry's eyes and she tried to silently tell him to not do anything stupid. Her heart pounded as her biggest and oldest fears began to resurface. She would not let them use her as Harry's Achilles heel, she wouldn't let his heroicness and need to protect her get him killed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Harry," said Dolohov with exaggerated politeness. "Would you prefer if I didn't touch your girlfriend? I was just going to kill her, but now. . . I don't know . . .like I said, I like your taste."

The whole crowd was completely focused on Harry, Ginny and Dolohov, as they were locked in some ridiculous children's staring contest. No one noticed the fiery sparks on Ginny's hands or the firework display that exploded down Harry's neck and over his dress-shirt covered chest.

'I love you,' Ginny mouthed wordlessly to Harry. The warm colors of a fire exploded out of both of them in all directions, like the relentless embers of an unquenchable fire. Dolohov and Ginny's captors were flown back and knocked to the ground as were the three men approaching Harry from behind. Ginny and Harry were together in a flash, wands in hand, as the other six were now returning to their feet.

Harry and Ginny grabbed hands, standing back to back, as both shouted "PROTEGO" at the groups approaching them from opposite sides. A web of warm colors spread from the tips of both their wands and met, creating a dome of red and orange around them. Their shock gave the attackers a moment to send several spells at them, but they all rebounded off the shield. Through the haze of the dome Harry could see other people coming to their aid and fighting off the Death Eaters, and then there was a "RETREAT" shouted by Dolohov and another cloud of smoke thickly obscured all vision. As it cleared, only one Death Eater lay still unconscious. The blazing dome was still intact.

Harry pulled Ginny into his arms and kissed her, again oblivious of the surrounding crowd. His relief poured into the kiss, but he was exceedingly gentle. Both hands framed Ginny's face, holding her like the most fragile of crystal balls. The kiss was slow, and he ended it resting his forehead against hers. "Are you alright?" he swallowed, "I've never been more scared, please be alright."

"I'm fine. I'm going to be fine," she said reassuring him and herself.


	6. The Aftermath

Part VI- The Aftermath

Part VI- The Aftermath

Chaos reigned. Wounds were being healed. People were being comforted. Important people were having important conversations. Kingsley was arguing with Navier and Fudge. But Harry and Ginny were oblivious to everything; arms wrapped tightly, faces buried in each other's shoulders. In that one moment, all Harry knew was that Ginny was in his arms. He did not think of the Weasleys still standing around the perimeter of the webbed dome, he did not think of how horribly unprotected the castle currently was; for once, perhaps the first time, Harry put what he wanted first, and right now he wanted Ginny tight in his arms, and he wanted to take a moment from the outside world. He lifted his head to look into her eyes. With painstaking slowness, Harry leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers as if in awe of their existence, his fingers traced over her face, through her hair, and over her body searching for a sign that she was in anyway harmed. She was fine. She was safe. For now, some unspeakable internal voice added.

And just like that, the moment broke. Harry became aware of his surrounding as reality crashed on him stronger than a high five from Grawp.

"What. . .is that?" Harry stared at the Technicolor display. He turned to Ginny; she looked as confused as he felt. And suddenly, the dome collapsed seeming to squirm its way into the ground. The Weasleys seemed to close in on them just as the dome had, but then started smothering them with reassurances and gratitude for their safety. Predictable guilt washed over Harry. They had targeted her. They knew what she was to him. He had failed. Just when he thought he would drown under the weight of his remorse Ginny returned to his arms.

"Stop," she commanded. "I can literally see you blaming yourself for this, just stop it."

"If I. . . If we. . ."

"STOP. We will talk about this later. It won't do me or you any good for you to try to make this your fault."

Harry nodded reluctantly, as he surveyed the scene. The once perfectly aligned chairs were skewed every which way. The statue already displayed a small crack, right over the heart of the stone wizard. His breath caught; how cruel it was for the little peace they had to last such a short time. Hermione came up to him and brought a hand gently to his shoulder.

"It's not like before, no one was seriously hurt. Plus, now people will take safety measures seriously, and hopefully we can avoid anything like what happened to Neville's parents," she said so softly. Her tone was the same way it always was when she was trying to make him understand something he didn't want to hear. Harry just nodded, not trusting his own voice.

Harry felt a tug on his sleeve he looked down at Kreacher and a couple other houselves that surrounded him. "Master Harry, you is quite pale. You is needing food. We mades lots, for all the people here. Master Harry," he repeated as Harry seemed unfocused, "people is needing to go inside and eat. They'll feel better." Harry nodded slowly still feeling stunned, separate from everyone and everything. How could he ever keep everyone safe? He tried to shake his head clear, knowing he was taking too much on himself.

"Harry, we'll figure this out," Ginny said threading her fingers through his. "Really," she continued, her eyes searching to find his, "please, Harry, it's going to be okay." His eyes bore deep into her own and he nodded. Seeing Kingsley arguing with Pierre Navier, and Fudge and the concerned faces of all the people milling about confusedly, he turned to Mr. Weasley. "Will you tell everyone to go inside and get something to eat?"

"Good idea." And pointing his wand to his throat, he said, "SONOROUS. OKAY EVERYONE, TO THE GREAT HALL, WE'RE GOING TO FIGURE THIS OUT, BUT RIGHT NOW THERE'S FOOD TO BE EATEN."

People automatically filtered in through the castle's main doors. Harry and the Weasleys walked over to Kingsley, who was surrounded by several members of the ministry.

"Stop," Kingsley commanded, interrupting Pierre's excuses. "You told me the castle's protections had been restored since the battle. You told me everyone was safe here." Kingsley's voice was strained as if it were taking his every effort not to scream at the man before him.

"I-I thought they were, but the Hogwarts protections were layered and layered for years and years, it is not something that is so easily restored after they have been broken once," Navier replied scathingly.

"Wait," said Mr. Weasley, "You're saying that since Voldemort and the death eaters have broken through the castles enchantments they can't be restored?"

"I'm sure they can be restored, but perhaps we need more man power and time." Kingsley responded.

Harry shook his head, "time we do not have."

"Some of the people I know from Gringotts are here, curse-breakers and those who work on putting up spells to protect vaults," interjected Bill. "I trust them, and we could at least put up some sort of defense around the building." For some reason this seemed to annoy Navier.

"Yes," Kingsley stated, "As soon as possible." Bill took off without another word. Fleur's eyes followed him until he disappeared through the castle's doors.

Kingsley sighed wearily. Mrs. Weasley came up to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kingsley, we really can't take the time to mourn. We need to have an Order meeting right away, figure out exactly what happened, make plans for this school, start trials and catch Death Eaters."

Navier stared at her with disdain. And Fudge looked appalled, "the Order is not the governing body of the wizarding world, you can't just come in and take over. It would be disaster, a complete usurpation of power, it would terrify the public."

Navier's beady eyes looked at her incredulously and continued, "Surely the people need time to grieve. Making plans and changing things shouldn't happen right now with everyone in this frame of mind. I mean, you should understand that, didn't you lose a son?"

"Yes," replied Mrs. Weasley fiercely, "I did. And today I almost lost my daughter. We can't wait. We are at our most vulnerable right now. I will do whatever it takes to protect my family. If it hadn't been for Harry's impressive defensive spell. . ." All eyes turned to Harry.

"What? No, that wasn't my spell, at least wasn't mine alone. Plus she wouldn't have been targeted if it wasn't for me," he finished ever so quietly, barely a whisper.

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley said with a note of sadness, "Everyone here was a target and was at risk. No one blames you." A sad smile and pointed look in her eyes tried to convince Harry of the truth of her words. "What do you mean it wasn't your spell? What was that dome shield then?"

"I don't know."

"It felt like it somehow came from both of us," Ginny answered seeming confused herself. She turned a questioning look to Harry's eyes and received a nod of confirmation.

"But what does that mean?" Ron asked, brow furrowed.

Tiberius Ogden, raised his arm slightly and stepped forward. "I think I may know, but it's a rather lengthy explanation, perhaps I could do a little research and get back to you?"

Harry looked at the elderly man critically. He had been the most understanding that last time he spoke to the Ministry of Magic, AND he had been one of few who supported him and Dumbledore when everyone claimed they were crazy about Voldemort's return, besides, Ogden despised Umbridge. Perhaps it was okay to trust his judgment, so Harry simply nodded.

"Well, okay, then, I think we'll have the ministry and the Order meet." Kingsley said easily taking control. "The Order has been working against Voldemort and the Death Eaters for a long time; they have the knowledge and experience we need, and we can't scrap the whole ministry. We need to make some serious changes but we can't lose order."

"I think you need some young voices too," Hermione said stepping forward, "those who have literally grown up with this. I think all of us and Neville Longbottom should be there too. He's been at Hogwarts this whole time; he knows what the kids have gone through."

Kingsley nodded, cutting out Fudge and Navier, "Yes. Eat, I'll make the appropriate calls," with a quick glance at his watch, "four o'clock, same classroom as last time." And with that, Kingsley swept away.

"What the hell was that?" Scabbier cried as Dolohov dropped from the ceiling, which served as the magical entrance to the of the Death Eaters' hideout.

Dolohov didn't even turn to face him. "Something unexpected," he stated calmly.

"What a waste! We gave away that we were still alive and fighting, and we lost one of our already too few members." Sewlyn's eyes flashed dangerously.

"No, I don' t think so," Dolohov responded maintaining his infuriatingly calm demeanor. The others turned to stare at him disbelievingly. "We learned a lot. First of all Ginger is the key to controlling Potter, and secondly, the old stone was right. We can trust him; he's really working for our side. We got in didn't we? And he's the one who told us Potter would risk everything for his little girlfriend. We lost one, but we gained a true insider. We have a fighting chance as long as he's working against them from within. Potter's the key, we have to bring him down; not just kill him, but destroy him, make him seem completely helpless and then kill him. It will demoralize everyone, make them weak and vulnerable, and then we'll strike. Potter took away our way of life! You heard his speech, equality for all living beings! What's next? Giving voting rights to trees?! He took our lives away! He deserves what's coming to him."

Ginny had had enough of Harry's silence throughout his meal; he barely even looked at her. So, as soon as his plate was empty and she was convinced he had eaten enough, she snagged him by the elbow and dragged him out of the Great Hall. His face fell out of its stoic stance and into shock so comically, that Hermione had to hand Ron several napkins after his laughter caused juice to spew out of his mouth.

Ginny didn't say a word as she pushed him out of the Great Hall. They turned the corner into a deserted corridor. Ginny turned to Harry, her nose inches from his face and stared deep into his eyes, not speaking and not moving. So suddenly that Ginny had to gasp to get air back into her lungs, Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and dropped his head to her neck. Ginny pulled her arms around him fiercely, weaving her fingers through his hair and sighing as he nuzzled his nose into her neck.

"I can't," Harry kept saying, "I just can't lose you."

"You're not going to lose me, Harry," Ginny interrupted. "I'm right here, I'm fine. I'm just worried about you." His head popped up to look at her. Ginny dropped her hand to his chest rubbing her palm over his heart. "I'm worried about this. You can't take everything onto yourself. The burden will crush you."

"Its just—for so long. . . since my second year, I've been terrified that knowing me would hurt you, hurt your family. Everyone who knows me has taken this huge risk. You all were the first people that showed any sort of positive feelings toward me. That's why I pushed you away last year, so that Riddle and his followers would never know the easiest way to break me. When they attacked you . . ." overcome with emotion, Harry couldn't continue. His eyes conveyed the truth, the attack on her had shaken him to the core.

"If I can't keep you safe. . ." Harry whispered eyes down, "then I don't deserve you."

Ginny's hands went automatically to either side of his face pulling his eyes to hers. She kissed his forehead, his cheek, effectively stopping the single tear in its tracks, and, softly, his mouth.

"I love you for that, your need to protect me. But, Harry, we have to work together and keep _each other_ safe. We need each other. Together we can face the challenges before us. You may be rather heroic, love, but I am not a damsel in distress."

A small smile played on Harry's lips, "I know."

"Good, I was afraid I would need to hex you to prove my point."

"Oh no," Harry said holding up his hands as if to fend her off, "not the infamous Bat-Boogey Hex!"

"Laugh now, Potter, and you'll regret it," she stated with mock anger.

"Is that so?" Suddenly a memory from a time long ago, he and Ginny out by the lake. . .His hand deftly went to the spot right below her ribcage tickling fiercely. Ginny dissolved into fits of laughter.

"Harry, stop." Laughter, a grin, "s-stop it." She ran from him, but he quickly caught up to her, she found her back, pressed against the wall of the corridor as he continued his tickling assault. They were both laughing, filling the small space with a delightful sound. Simultaneously they both vowed to make sure they heard that sound more often.

"We should get going soon," Hermione said turning to Ron, who was of course still eating. She got only a grunt in response.

"I still don't get why we can't just scrap the whole ministry and start from fresh. They're all a bunch of wankers."

Hermione sighed, "Ron, the period of rebuilding right after a war is very influential. Scrapping the whole government leaves us open to tyrannical leaders. I mean, even Dumbledore struggled with the temptation of power. People are so scared right now. They will fear anyone in power, afraid of being suppressed again. If we change too much too fast, there would be rebellions and chaos, not any of the unity we really want. You've got to remember, some people will think that Voldemort was a complete fluke, he was a really bad man who did really bad things. They won't recognize that he just played off the prejudices in our society, that the problem is deeper than one dark wizard. And others still think that Voldemort's ideas weren't bad, just his method. Change is going to have to be slow."

Ron sighed, "Well I guess It's better this way. Maybe our children won't have to deal with what we did, if we take care of things the right way."

Hermione looked up at him in surprise, children! Ron had ducked his head in an uncharacteristically shy way, but she leaned closer, kissing him thoroughly. She smiled at him, and he, back at her, the moment needed no words. They got up silently, and wove their fingers together to walk out of the hall.

"Where did Harry and Ginny go? If I run into the two of them snogging in a public place . . ."

Hermione laughed, "Ron, come on, they had some very important things to talk about. There's no way they just disappeared for a snog."

Just then they turned the corner to hear a peel of laughter change abruptly into a gasp. Right in front of them, were Harry and Ginny. Ginny had been laughing as Harry tickled her, but he had suddenly changed tactics and his mouth was now working on the hyper sensitive spot on the side of her neck, Ginny's eyes drifted close.

"What did I tell you?!" Ron shouted. Hermione let out a small laugh in surprise.


	7. Questions

Part VII- Questions

"Well this should be interesting?" Ron said as he, Hermione, Harry and Ginny exited the corridor.

"Yeah . . . all of the Order, most of the Ministry, and a handful of teenagers all in one room talking about what has happened and what needs to happen. I can't imagine that anything could go wrong." Ginny's sarcastic reply broke Harry's serious façade into a smirk.

"Oh, what about Neville?" Ginny asked.

"Don't worry, we talked to him, he's coming," Hermione replied. Walking through Hogwarts, the murmuring grew louder. When they arrived at the door, the noise inside reached the level of a large swarm of bees and there stood Neville. His hands were on his hips and his head to the ground, he looked almost thirty and nothing like the 17-year-old boy he was. He turned to face to them as they approached.

"Ginny!" He greeted as a smile stretched across his face. He reached forward to embrace her. "I'm so glad you're alright." He clapped Harry on the back in a quick tight hug. "You ready for this?" he asked.

"Nope," Harry replied, but still he turned to the door. As soon as the five of them cleared the doorway, the full room fell silent. Heads swiveled from all directions as a multitude of conversations came to a screeching halt. Ginny silently pushed her way closer to Harry and grabbed his hand.

"Harry!'" Hagrid came forward quickly knocking his chair over in his haste. He pulled Harry into a hug and then set him back onto the floor. "I've been tending to Grawp, he's terribly uncomfortable, poor thing, lots of scrapes and bruises, that's why I haven't seen yeh. I'm so proud of yeh, Harry, yeh did it! But I could just kill yeh for playing dead like that, you had me in a right state!" Hagrid's booming voice, of course, reached every ear in the room.

"I know, Hagrid, I'm sorry. There was just no way to tell you . . ."

"Oh, I know, Harry," Hagrid responded quickly.

"How _did_ you end up playing dead and in the Death Eaters hands?" Questioned one of the wizards from the ministry.

It seemed like everyone in the room was holding their breath staring and the younger witches and wizards expectantly. Kingsley stepped forward, "I think we would all really like to hear what exactly has been going on this year." He sounded apologetic and indicated seats to the five of them.

Harry paused to collect himself, trying to figure out where to start. He opened and closed his mouth several times, and finally, he looked to Ron and Hermione for help.

"Well, basically, all that Chosen One stuff, was right; there was a prophecy, and Dumbledore worked with Harry to help him figure out how to survive. It's really rather complicated, but not all that important to the overall story," Ron stated quickly and matter-of-factly. "Basically, Dumbledore told Harry he had to be the one to finish it with Voldemort and Harry said, 'ok, let's do it'." Harry and Hermione looked at him wryly for putting it so bluntly.

"It all came down to the Horcruxes;" Hermione continued, taking over for Ron, and a large collective gasp ensued, followed by an outbreak of exclamations.

"Wait! Voldemort had a Horcrux?"

"Horcruxes, as in plural!?"

"What's a Horcrux?"

"Voldemort wanted to be immortal. He feared death so much. He was willing to do anything to avoid it," Harry answered quietly.

"So he made seven Horcruxes, splintering his soul into another piece each time. A Horcrux is an object that holds a fraction of a soul; making one is inherently evil, as murder is required to do it." More shouting and exclamations came after Hermione's explanation.

"Do you want to hear this story, or not?" Ron yelled with exasperation. "Just let us tell it." As their audience hushed, he continued, "So we went out to destroy them all; only then could Voldemort be killed." They continued on with the story, glossing over the more personal issues, such as Ron's departure and return, and finally Harry quietly recounted how Snape had died and what Snape had revealed about Harry and Voldemort's connection in his last moments. Mrs. Weasley had silent tears streaming down her face throughout the whole story and Hagrid had to be repeatedly calmed.

"That's when I knew, at last, what had to be done." The room was still, no one breathed, no one dared move. "There were three last things to destroy," Harry paused his head was down, his eyes closed, taking a deep breath he looked up at his enraptured audience, "the snake, _me_ and then finally, Voldemort. I told Neville to kill the snake if he ever got the chance, which fortunately he did, and I knew that Ron and Hermione would act as soon as the snake was dead. So I went off into the forest . . ." Harry's head bowed down again as he was hit by the onslaught of memories. His throat constricted and no more words would come. Ginny's hand moved to the nape of his neck gently caressing.

"He found Voldemort and his Death Eaters and raised no wand against him as he used the killing curse. He meant to die, and in doing so evoked an ancient magic and protected everyone in Hogwarts from Voldemort's magic. It was the same kind of protection his mother gave him when she died. Because his mother's protection lay in both him and Voldemort, Harry was tethered to this earth and was able to come back, but the part of Voldemort's soul within him was destroyed." Ginny's voice broke slightly at the end; she had been so close to loosing him. Harry turned his head to hers and placed the softest of kisses to her forehead. No one dared tread on the moment.

"I came to at the same time as Voldemort. He had Narcissa Malfoy check my pulse, but she asked me about her son, and when I told her he was here, she lied and told Voldemort I was dead." Harry felt the need to give them all the information about the Malfoy's. Let the Ministry decide what should happen to them. "The rest you know, you saw," Harry finished hoping to avoid any questions about the elder wand. The room seemed stunned. All members of the room stared at the teenagers before them with shock and awe. The moment was pregnant with silence as each individual followed their own unique contemplation. The horror stricken faces reflected on what these children had been through, but behind one carefully masked face was hatred for those kids, because of what they had destroyed.

"Gee I'm really thirsty, anyone else?" asked Ron nonchalantly trying to break the awkward moment and stop all those people from staring at them. He knew Harry was about to go mad from all the attention. Hermione swatted him lightly and Neville laughed, "Got any butterbeer?" he joked with a sigh. The exchange effectively broke the mood and set all the frozen occupants free as several conversations started up at once.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley approached the trio. "We are so proud of you. And so happy you are safe," they said as they embraced the three of them. It was a while before the room settled down again with the consistent prodding of Kingsley.

Kingsley efficiently took control of the meeting, debriefing everyone on what they knew. They were working on getting a hold of some Veritaserum, or at the very least someone who could make it, so they could question the Death Eater that was captured from the attack during the memorial. He then asked Charlie to debrief them all on the security that had been added to the castle, he was halfway through when Harry spoke up.

"Uh, Charlie," Harry started awkwardly. "Maybe you should keep some of it to yourself. I mean part of Hogwarts protection has always been in its mystery; even Dumbledore didn't know everything about the castle." He paused awkwardly, "Plus, there's err, a lot of people in this room; you never know truly where people's loyalties lie," he finished in a whisper.

Ron agreed quickly, "True," he stated. Hermione answered with a nod and a sad smile. Ginny looked up at him, concern plaguing her features, so many people had let him down and betrayed him, could she help him learn to trust again?

"That seems wise," Mr. Weasley stated, and Charlie nodded to his father while he sat back down.

Fudge, Navier and several other Ministry officials looked at Kingsley like petulant children who were being denied a slice of treacle tart. But Kingsley continued on, ignoring them.

"We need to try to bring this place back to how it was; the faster we can put our society back together the better. And that includes Hogwarts. We need to look into the school's fund, as well as the Ministry's capabilities in assisting the rebuilding. We need to get things running normally as soon as possible."

"Well, perhaps we can get organized a volunteer program to help us get things back together. Surely people will help. I'm assuming Minerva McGonagall will take over as Headmistress," stated a member of the Wizengamot, who was also one of the school governors.

"I'd be more than honored too, but I think we have bigger issues to discuss about the school than its structural integrity."

"What do you mean?"

"What are we going to do about their education, are we going to promote everyone, we have 5th years who didn't take their O.W.L.S and 6 and 7th years who were too busy showing defiance to the Carrows, and attended more violent punishments in detention than actual classes." Ginny flinched at the memory McGonagall's fervorous words elicited.

"Hmmm," stated Tiberius Ogden. "Perhaps a placement test, but this will complicate matters, a large group of legal age witches and wizards attending school with those underage. . . more students than Hogwarts is used to accommodating . . . This could get complicated. Ms. Granger, I believe you had some thoughts on the matter."

Hermione sat up straighter, "I do," she looked to Ron and Harry and finally to Neville. "What's happened to our generation is unique. I think you guys are going to have to make some special accommodations."

"What do you mean?" Tiberius asked kindly.

"I mean, well," she turned to Harry. "Harry, do you honestly think you could come back to Hogwarts, back to Quidditch, detention and homework. Do you think you'd be able to come back here and stick to a curfew and follow a bunch of rules?" Harry looked taken aback for a moment. He felt so separate and so different from the Harry that attended Hogwarts. The thought of going back to that on the surface seemed comforting: to go back to the way things were, to be less responsible, to be a kid, but almost immediately he could see how unhappy he'd be. Walking the halls acting like the whole last year had never happened, dealing with the younger students and stares, not being able to come and go as he needed to, to do things like see Teddy. Harry sighed and then slowly shook his head.

Hermione turned to Ron. "Ron?" Ron shook his head too, he'd finally grown up, there was no looking back now . . . plus, there was George to think of. . ."

"There needs to be some sort of alternative choice to coming back to Hogwarts full time and not finishing your education. Perhaps a half year option, or correspondence courses, or fast track to specific N.E.W.T.S . . . I don't know exactly, but something should be done so that there are more options."

"Thank-you Ms. Granger, I think you are right. I'd hate to see people abandoning their education, but I can see the unique predicament many of you are in. Perhaps we can figure something else out," replied McGonagall.

Hermione smiled and relaxed, placated. She knew she would probably want to finish her education, but, as always, she was worried about her boys, what would happen to their futures, now that they all had one. Plus, she knew they'd never ask for special accommodations on their own.

Neville then cleared his throat. "Also I think you are going to need to take into account all of the propaganda students were given this year. We . . . did our best to keep the record straight, but I worry about the younger kids. You may have to restructure curriculum entirely. I mean, think about it, a lot of students have lately had rather disrupted educations. Look at what has happened, there's Umbridge and her propaganda, teachers' deaths, required torturing of fellow students. If you're not careful, students are going to leave with incomplete educations and old prejudices," McGonagall and Kingsley nodded, taking in Neville's perspective. Ginny tried to stay in the present and focus on the positives, like Neville; she had always pictured him as a teacher. He could be such an amazing leader, she told herself as she tried to avoid the memories his words were bringing back, but someone moved, causing their chair to screech as it slid against the hard floor, just like it had in the dungeons. . . and just like that Ginny found herself reliving on old memory.

_A nameless Slytherin pushed his chair back to prop his feet up on the table in front of him delighting in how much the redhead cringed at the sound._

"_Oh Ginny," he taunted getting off his chair to come closer to her. Ginny pulled fruitlessly against the shackles that held her wrists above her head as the slime ball came nearer. She breathed deeply trying to control her racing heart after the last round of Crucio's. "It really is too bad, that you're a filthy blood traitor and that Potter got there first." His friends simpered behind him menacingly anticipating some fun. The creep grabbed her chin with his hand forcing her to look at him. His thumb flicked over her lips, "because I've heard all about where that mouth of yours has been. . ." Even knowing that his insinuation was completely unfounded, Ginny still felt like dirt, just by the accusation. "It's hard to believe Potter let you kiss him with that mouth," at that, Ginny spit in his face and was rewarded by another round of Cruciatus. _

"_Isn't detention fun?" he taunted as she fell limp against the shackles. _

"_You know there are several easy ways out of this," he continued in the same friendly voice. "One is some dirt on Potter. We can even pretend that we believe you and that the two of you broke-up, boo-hoo, and you have no idea where he is, and you can just tell us about him. Was he a good kisser, Ginny? Did the golden boy make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Are you in loooovvvee?" _

_Ginny kept up a strong face, outwardly ignoring his taunts, but inside she was crumbling. Yes, she wanted to scream, and the thought of never seeing him again hurt more than a thousand Crucios. It was in that moment that Ginny felt a surge of strength. Yes, she could handle this. She thought of Harry, the few short moments of happiness they had been allowed; those would sustain her, she could fight through this, and anything else, if it meant having him back. She threw her mind into the beginning, the way Harry used make up all those ridiculous excuses to find extra time with her before they had admitted their feelings to one another, and slowly remembering and reliving every detail, she played through all her best moments, she barely even noticed it when her detention finally ended._

Ginny blinked several times trying to focus on the present, and the first thing she saw was his eyes, so green, staring at her, his concern radiating across his face. He flipped the hand that was threaded in hers, so that her hand was palm up, he ran his other hand up the soft sensitive skin of her inner forearm, stopping at her wrist, softly tracing over the raising pulse there feeling it gradually slow down. Finally he raised that hand to her cheek, "Are you alright?" he whispered bearing down deep into her eyes, as if he'd find the answer there. She put her free hand on his and leaned into his touch. She nodded, "I am now," she whispered back.

The conversation had continued around them. Discussion about the issues that would be plaguing Hogwarts and especially the financial roll the Ministry ought to play became heated, until Kingsley brought it to a close abruptly.

"Considering that the final battle took place in a school, the Ministry will be making a contribution to the repairs," he stated as if an argument to the contrary was absurd. The room shifted in the lull of silence that followed his proclamation and everyone anticipated the opening of a new topic of conversation.

"I think we need to go back to what happened today," said Fudge. "We can't have that happen again, Harry you can't give into Death Eaters' demands and threats."

"Seriously? You want to give Harry Potter advice on how to handle Death Eaters?" The question came cheekily from Ron. Neville just snorted in response. Harry's eyes were focused on where his and Ginny's hands were threaded together. Without looking up, he responded, "I will do whatever it takes to protect the people I love." His voice was fierce, but very evenly controlled, like the small jut of an iceberg out of the surface of an ocean, seemingly, calm and inconsequential, but hinting at its fierce hidden depths.

Mrs. Weasley's heart clenched. Her maternal concern spread over her features at the truth of Harry's words. How many times had he saved her family? How many more times would he have to?

"No one's questioning your judgment, Harry, actually I would like your opinion on a few things in the next month or so," said a man, and the easy, calm, frankness of his request made Harry look up.

"This is Cuthbert Mockridge," said Kingsley. "He was once the head of the Goblin Liaison office, and now he has agreed to step up and oversee all of the rebuilding and security of Ministry or wizarding public buildings, like the Ministry itself, and will also be the liaison with the Goblins about the reconstruction of Gringotts."

"Seeing as you've broken into both, I would love you, kids. . . young adults," Hermione elbowed Ron as another chuckle was released, "to look at the plans and tell us how you would get past the security measures in place."

Harry was trying hard not to laugh; the request seemed like something you'd ask a rehabilitated ex-con to do. The emotional stress and lack of sleep had apparently left him with a tenuous hold on his emotions. "Umm, sure. We could probably do that, if you want."

Ginny fell into his shoulder seeming to try to hide while laughing; apparently she was suffering from sudden shifts in mood too. "Harry Potter, the rehabilitated ex-con, using his mischievous powers for good." She muttered in his ear. Harry looked down at her sharply, wondering at the likelihood of them both thinking the same thing at the same time.

Harry came back to the present when Kingsley replied, "Cornelius, yes, I know you still want to talk more about what happened today."

"Yes. I would like to know what kind of magic you used today too, Mr. Potter," the small smile slipped from Harry's face as Pierre Navier stepped forward; his voice was like nails on a chalkboard, Harry suppressed the urge to cringe.

"So would I," Harry muttered. "I really don't know what happened, instincts took over when . . . when Gin—when. . .the Death Eaters showed up."

Tiberius leaned forward again; his tone and face were apologetic. "I've been thinking about it, it reminds me of something that Albus and I used to theorize about. It goes straight to the root of the essence of magic and how magic actually works. It is sort of confusing . . ." Ogden finished uncertainly, not knowing if now was the time to go into it.

Ginny met Harry's eyes, and after a silent moment responded, "We would really like to hear any sort of explanation you could offer. . ."


	8. Dawn

Part VIII- Dawn

Dawn slowly crept over the hills near the Burrow. The Burrow almost felt the same as before the war, filled to the brim with currently sleeping people; love was even more plentiful than the beds and food in this, the most homey of homes. But there was a change, an undercurrent, like an oddly cool breeze in the middle of May. Sorrow filled the home. What was normally loud and cheery was subdued. While the house was filled to the brim, a part of it still felt empty.

But at this moment none of the occupants were awake to feel the strange tension. Harry reached a hand up in his near wakeful state to fix whatever was tickling his face and his hand delightfully found soft tresses. Smoothing his hand through them, he smiled slightly to himself as last evening slowly came back to him. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley said it was time the whole family returned to the Burrow and that that of course included him and Hermione. They had all practically collapsed into the family room just reveling in everyone being together, well, almost everyone. He remembered struggling to stay awake, but gave up once the beautiful creature in his arms snuggled closer to him and said "stop fighting, just sleep." They must have decided to leave them there, and Harry felt a rush of gratitude for their understanding and wrapped his arms tighter around Ginny.

She looked so beautiful in the early morning light. Her skin, Harry wished he had the vocabulary to describe it, it was that perfect shade of cream, complemented especially well when her cheeks were rosy and flushed to match her perfect hair. Harry reached down to smooth her hair back and reassure himself that this moment would not end as a cruel dream, but that it was real, she was real. How long would it take him to get used to that? Ginny stirred, a smile spread across her features as she leaned up closer to him and then finally opened her eyes, "I love waking up in your arms," she said softly in the quiet house. She reached up and kissed him. The kiss was as tender and soft as the delicate peace of this dawn. She lay her head back down on his chest and absently began stroking small circles across it.

"So, should we talk about what happened yesterday?"

Harry sighed, "Hmm, the part where my love for you risked your life, or what Tiberius said?" He asked with a nonchalant air. Ginny lifted her head swiftly, and Harry's pain-filled eyes avoided her. In one swift move, Ginny moved to straddle Harry's hips; her hands pushed forcefully on his shoulders, she leaned forward until her hair framed his face as well as her own. She placed a forceful kiss on his mouth, then his forehead, and continued punctuating every word with a kiss.

"Don't. You. Ever. Blame. Our. Love. When. Bad. Things. Happen." She ended with a thorough kiss on the mouth which he deepened and softened.

"I'm sorry, I know, it. . . it just scared me so much."

"I know," she sighed. Then she smiled lightly, "Besides, I meant about what Tiberius told us."

She shifted back to where she had been, burying her face in his neck.

"It was so much to take in," Harry replied.

"I know. I feel like I still have to go through it all to try to understand what he told us."

"Yeah," he replied and a soft calm fell over them. They lay in silence as they both slipped back into their memory of last night. . .

_Tiberius scooted forward in his chair eagerly after Ginny had asked him to explain what he knew._

"_Okay then, as I'm sure you all know, magic is impossibly complex. It is not simple genetics handed down from generation to generation, but at the same time we cannot ignore that parentage does play some part. Children from magic parents are more likely to be magic, but there are no guarantees, no simple dominance or recessiveness. _

"_But it has been found that magic requires two things. First, it must exist in the blood. No known muggle doctor's test would reveal it, but there is a physicality to magic in the blood. It is not stationary or static, but ever changing. The other necessity is a catalyst. This part is much more difficult to define. Albus and myself were of the same opinion, this catalyst is a part of the wizard himself; perhaps it could be called a part of his soul, perhaps not. Emotions, especially strong emotions like love, compassion, fear or hate have always been linked to strong magic. A wizard's emotional health often has a greater affect on their magic then pure talent does. Young wizards' first encounter with magic is usually due to some sort of emotional stress. There is something within him that activates his innate magical abilities._

_"Many squibs have magic in their blood. But few ever tap into it. It's like a wand in a world with no wizards, the magic is dormant and inactive, waiting for something to catalyze it and channel it. I'm sure there are some out there who have this activator but no magic in their blood, but . . . this is immeasurable. _

_"Throughout history there have been whispers of witches and wizards who have the ability to be a catalyst for others. It's rare, very rare; but as history tells us, these people act as the catalyst not for themselves but for another. The result is insurmountable and is typically brought about by very dire situations." He had looked warily between Harry and Ginny with an unquenchable curiosity screaming through his expression. _

"_These people usually live a very difficult life. Often their own magic alone is not very strong and there are the demands and the ambitions of others who want to benefit from the amplifier . . ." he shook his head. "A great burden comes from this skill."_

"_So you think one of us is a universal magic magnifier?" Harry had asked incredulously. Was his life ever going to be simple? _

"_No. What you two are is unique. It seems you are mutual catalysts," he said in a reverent tone. "Rarer than rare. I thought it was just a fairytale. It seems you offer each other the perfect outside catalyst, both catalyzing the other's strengths. It's remarkable really. And as you are very well aware, Mr. Potter, magic is also a very dynamic thing capable of recognizing and remembering other people's magic. With you and Voldemort, your magic seemed to recognize the enemy; with you and Ginny, it seems both your magic recognizes the . . . ally and works together rather seamlessly. It doesn't really surprise me, nor would it have surprised Albus, that this ability comes from two so obviously in love," Tiberius concluded with a carefree smile, not realizing the deep blush on Harry and Ginny's faces. Tiberius looked to the others in the room, who were staring at him incredulously. _

_Tiberius sighed, "Don't act so astounded. We see smaller instances of this all time in our world. Friends who tend bolster each other's magical advancement, or couples who complement each other very well in skill. Granted these things are outside the body and affect the emotional state of the wizard, which affects his or her own internal catalyst, where as Ginny can amplify Harry's own power with her own catalyst and therefore his magic has two sources that amplify it, and vice versa of course," he said smiling kindly at Ginny. _

"_Albus was always saying that it was love that would save you, Harry, perhaps he was right literally, as well as figuratively." Tiberius seemed oblivious to the astounded faces around him and just continued on, "I imagine it is something you can learn to control and harness to use when you want. It's all a matter of finding the trigger. . ." His voice trailed off as he stared at them eagerly, obviously hoping they'd give it a try. _

_Harry turned to Ginny, his eyes questioning; she simply took his hand and stared deep into his eyes. Harry focused solely on Ginny, the soft red hair that matched her fiery personality, and the way she was always so in sync with him. Suddenly, Harry felt like he was hit with a wave; it literally felt like Ginny had melted into him, he felt her love for him, her worry for him . . . her want of him. He pulled back abruptly and their now enraptured audience watched the warm colored sparks recede down their arms. Harry was breathing quickly and wondered with fervor what Ginny had seen and felt. _

_He cleared his throat, "I think we'll look more into this later, on our own," Harry stated with an authority that rang with finality. _

"_But what was that on their arms? It looked like fire embers; did it hurt?" asked Mrs. Weasley. Her brows furrowed as her awe turned to concern for her daughter and almost son. _

"_No, mum, didn't hurt at all." Ginny replied quickly._

"_I think that when they work together like that . . . by amplifying their magic . . . they literally make the magic in their blood visible." Several eyebrows disappeared into hairlines at that pronouncement. _

"_I imagine that once they consummate their relationship it will get even stronger," Tiberius commented casually. _

"_What!?" Harry spluttered as Ginny buried her face into his shoulder, he could feel the heat of her embarrassment through his shirt._

"_Oh, I'm sorry, dears," said Tiberius, "Have you already?" he asked mistakenly interpreting their response. Ron and Neville started laughing outright as a chorus of "They better not have," came for the Weasley brothers._

"_Oh, goodness," Tiberius laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything, my wife, may she rest in peace, used to say I have a knack for putting my foot in my mouth and not understanding how it got there," he said with a shrug._

"_But wait, what does this mean? What will they be capable of?" Navier asked._

"_Oh, I have no idea!" responded Ogden with an excited smile._

_Voices broke out as order dissolved again and people demanded more information._

_Harry's hand went to the bridge of his nose trying to lessen the pressure of his quickly forming headache. Ginny's hand went to the nape of his neck and twisted her fingers through the hair there. _

"_It's been a long day" she said to him softly, "headache?" _

"_Yeah, it's just from frustration, though," he responded_

"_And maybe from exhaustion," she stated more than asked. He smirked at her lightly, "Please, I sleep so much all the time," she shook her head at his sarcasm, pulled out her wand and did a simple spell for headache relief that her mother always used._

"_Thanks," he said, his voice suddenly filled with emotion, he was still not used to someone taking care of him. _

"_Miss Weasley, are you even of age, to flout the decree for underage magic in front of practically the entire ministry. . ." said Fudge, Harry groaned. _

"_I'm in school aren't I?" Ginny asked with a smirk indicating to their current location. _

"_Seriously, Fudge, pipe down," said a random exasperated ministry member. _

"_Yeah, quiet down, we still need answers," came another voice from the peanut gallery._

_Ginny looked up at them all incredulously. "That's all Ogden knows, and that's all we know. This is not open to further discussion; this is between Harry and me." Her voice rang clear with finality, her hair almost crackled with the protective streak in her voice_

Harry resurfaced from the memory with a sigh. It seemed he would never get the quiet private life he craved, but, he thought looking at Ginny, perhaps he could get everything else he'd dreamed of.

Ginny sighed heavily and said, "Today is Fred's funeral. No matter how many times I say it, it doesn't feel real."

Harry responded by running a soothing hand through her hair. "I know, love."

"I miss him, it hurts so bad," Harry felt warm tears soak through his t-shirt. "I can't even imagine what it's like for George. He needs us all so much. We need to be strong for him." She stated wiping fiercely at the tears in her eyes.

Harry looked down at her carefully, "You're right, we all will need to be there for George, but that doesn't mean that you can't be sad too. Let yourself feel the grief, don't bury it down, love." He paused and then softly said, "It's okay to cry."

It was like he had broken through the wall of a dam. Ginny let her tears overcome her. Harry sat up and scooped her into his arms, cradling her close to his chest. He held her tight, rocking slightly with one arm under her knees, the other running soothingly down her back. She buried her face in his shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. And she cried. She cried for Fred and for George and for her mother; she cried for herself and her loss. She silently begged for Fred's peace and happiness, and hoped that she would live up to all of the amazing things he thought she was capable of. She let herself feel all of it, the injustice, the finality, the cause and the reason. She felt like she was free falling, spiraling down with no control; she clutched to Harry and her world righted itself, she felt so safe and protected in his arms, like there was nothing she had to hide from him. Only with him would she let herself loose so much control. Slowly, her sobs declined, but Harry didn't let her go; he just continued to rock her lightly.

Mrs. Weasley padded wearily down the stairs, every step felt like a giant effort. She heard the tears before she found their source, and again she lay witness to a precious moment between Harry and Ginny.

"Oh, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said, as tears were already starting to fill her red rimmed eyes.

Ginny leaned away from Harry, whispered a soft, "thank-you," and then went to give her mother a thorough embrace. Harry watched the women sadly letting his own tears fall and then silently slipped into the kitchen, there was no way he was letting Mrs. Weasley cook all day. The Dursleys had at least done one thing for Harry . . .given him some domestic skills.

Not knowing any cooking spells, Harry cooked mostly like a muggle, working with his hands, and being busy felt good and kept his mind clear; finally there was nothing to do but wait as the eggs and bacon were cooking. Hermione and Ron walked into the kitchen wrapped tightly together. They mumbled their good mornings as Ron sat down pulling Hermione immediately into his lap.

"How are you doing, Harry?" Hermione asked. "What do you think of all that stuff about you and Ginny?"

Harry shook his head lightly. "I can't even wrap my head around it right now. There's too much to deal with. . ."

"Harry! Did you make breakfast?" cried Mrs. Weasley as she and Ginny entered the kitchen. Harry shrugged. Mrs. Weasley engulfed him in a maternal hug as only Mrs. Weasley could, "You didn't have to do that, but thank-you." Then she whispered, "And thank-you for being there for Ginny." Harry smiled awkwardly and looked at the ground.


	9. Grievances

_thanks for all the reviews! It's so nice to get feedback. _

Part IX

The majority of the guests had left and only a close-knit group was left in the family room following Fred's wake. Everyone was sprawled around the room. Harry was lying back against the fully occupied couch. Ginny was reclined against him between his legs. His fingers running through her hair in repetitive soothing motions, occasionally his fingers would flick over her cheek to catch fallen tears. He had let her out of his arms only when she was headed directly to the arms of her family, determined to help her through this. But right now she was making his whole body shake with the waves of her laughter.

"And so I asked Fred," Charlie continued laughing, "'Did you make Mum's Witch Weekly disappear?' And he looked up at me with those fake innocent eyes, he must have been like six or seven, and said 'no, I didn't make them disappear.' 'Fred what did you do?' I asked, and he giggled at me and pointed to the rug in the corner. I walked over there and sure enough the magazines were all lying there with rug-camouflaging covers. I asked him why he hid Mum's magazines and he opened up the magazines to a picture of Gwenog Jones modeling the newest swimwear and began," Charlie was laughing so hard now he took a deep breath and continued, "petting the scantily clad witch and said, 'because she's so pretty.' I took the magazine from him and flipped to a picture of her in her full Quidditch gear and said 'You think she's pretty?' I mean, come on, he was so young. 'Yes,' he said, and he flipped back to the page of her modeling swimwear, 'but she's prettier here'."

"He wouldn't be the last Weasley to disguise contraband, but he was certainly the youngest," murmured Bill and another roar of laughter ensued.

George stood up so suddenly that he caused the chair he was sitting in to knock over.

"It's not fair!" he yelled as tears formed in his eyes. "I don't understand why this happened. He and I were never supposed to leave each other. That was the deal. And I know, I know, this is what he'd want. He'd want us to tell all of his funniest stories and laugh through our tears and then be happy. I know that's what he'd want, because that's what I would want. But damn it, why couldn't have it been me? Why did he have to die?!"

George's outburst abruptly killed the laughter and the silence left in the room was suffocating. George continued to pace. "How are we supposed to do this? How are we supposed to move and be happy about the war being over? How are we supposed to go back to normal? Do you know that today marks the longest period of time I've ever gone without him. Two days! That's the longest I've ever gone without talking to him. I'm not prepared for this. I don't know how to handle this."

Mrs. Weasley made to move to him, but he pulled back abruptly avoiding her touch.

"We were supposed to be the ones to help everyone through their grief. We had already started making pacts about how to help people go past all they lost. We made this big formal pact on how we were going to make sure we helped Ginny if . . .if. . ."

"If it were me?" Harry asked quietly.

"Well yes, it did seem likely, didn't it?!" George threw out haphazardly. "Not him, no . . . We were supposed to help people be happy again. It was the whole point of a joke shop. I wasn't supposed to be the one grieving, not like this. I was going to help people, not be the weak one who would yell at his family."

Ginny got up and walked to George. When he didn't back away, she wrapped her arms tightly around him. "It'll be alright, big brother. I miss him too."

George turned his tear stained face to her, the one sibling, besides Fr--, that he would always listen to. "Really? How can it possibly ever be alright?"

"George, the ones who love us never really leave us." She repeated what Harry had said to her, sending him a quick, small, smile over George's shoulder. George finally just succumbed to his grief and held her tight. Bill got up and clapped a hand on George's shoulder. "I think we should all get some sleep," he said leading George out of the room.

Ginny's remaining brothers soon engulfed her. In one silent moment, they all collectively agreed to take on the task of helping George through this.

"Yes. Off to bed all of you," Mrs. Weasley said through her tears.

"You heard your mum, get going," Mr. Weasley said wrapping his arms around his wife.

Ginny looked to Harry and they both hesitated. Maybe if they just waited until everyone left, they could . . .

"Ginevra Weasley. Off to bed, your _own_ bed. When was the last time you slept there?" Mrs. Weasley asked rhetorically hoping sleeping in her own bed might bring Ginny a sense of comfort.

They all had the good sense to quickly follow Mrs. Weasley's order and meandered up to bed for some much need rest.

*****

Harry tossed and turned fruitlessly trying to get more comfortable. He thought he was fine, that he was dealing with everything . . . but every time his eyes closed, one horrible image after another filled his memory. He felt weak. He pulled the sheet tighter to him, as if that could protect him. If only all those stupid Ministry workers and reporters could see him now, maybe then they'd stop treating him like some awe-inspiring hero to worship and see him for what he really was, a scared and sad barely of age wizard. What was worse was that now he could vividly imagine what Death Eaters would do if they ever got their hands on Ginny. He'd even had a random nightmare about her being tortured and taunted while shackled in a dungeon for detention. It had felt as real as the rest of his memories.

Everything in him screamed to go find Ginny. But no, he couldn't, he should be able to spend one lousy night on his own. He shouldn't bring her down with him. She didn't need to share his pain. She was probably peacefully sleeping in her own bed. Harry sighed turning his head to stare out the window; he felt a strange tingling under his skin and a growing urge to rush over to Ginny's room, but he resisted. He would not give into his own weakness.

With the first glimpse of the sun, he was out of bed. He thought he might as well make breakfast again. Anything to avoid the quiet empty space that let his thoughts and memories roam free.

Busying himself with the task of cooking for the whole clan gave Harry's restless mind a tiny reprieve. He focused on the tasks before him enjoying the smell as his stomach growled appreciatively. With a tired sigh, he leaned against the counter and then felt something poking him in his back pocket. He reached in and found a folded piece of paper that Kingsley had given him.

"A list," Kingsley had said after the meeting, "Of funerals that you were requested to attend. I'm not saying you should go to them all . . . It just didn't seem right to not pass on the requests."

Luckily only Fred's was yesterday, but following that, there were more than three a day. Some names he knew all too well, others he had never met. There was something about seeing a black and white list before him that made the pain in his chest intensify. It seemed so cold, so matter-of-fact. He didn't even notice that he was shaking until the list fluttered to the floor. He tried to take deep breaths, but the enormity of what had happened kept hitting him, like the persistent bite of winter wind. He could hear his breathing become strained, but he couldn't get control of it.

Hermione pushed her way into the kitchen. "Harry!" she exclaimed, worry and panic permeating through the still quiet house. Ginny came running before Hermione was even over her shock. She reached Harry and framed his face in her hands.

"Deep breath," she said looking straight into his panicking eyes. A shuddered gasp for air was the only response. "Slow breath in," she said again more earnestly, drawing in a slow breath herself. He matched her breathing and gradually began to feel normal again. Ginny let her forehead fall to his, one hand fell to his heart.

"I'm sorry," he croaked.

"Shhhh. Don't apologize." They both were frozen there, just listening to the sound of their slow synchronized breathing.

"Harry, you don't have to do this," she said as she bent to the ground and picked up that godforsaken list.

"Yes," he replied, gently removing the list from her hands, "I do. If these people can get some sort of closure by me being there and talking to them, who am I to deny them that?" he asked softly.

"It's not up to you to save everyone."

"I know," he said letting his exasperation out with a sigh, "I just . . . I have to do this. I can be strong for them."

"Okay, I'll come with you then," Ginny replied simply.

"No, Gin, I don't want to drag you there because you're worried about me. I'm fine, really. I can handle this."

"Handle this!? Harry, you were just hyperventilating. You are going to need more than a week to move past all the grievances of the last few years. Besides, you don't have to handle this anymore, not alone." Her earnest face caught him off guard and he almost gave in.

"Ginny . . . I just need to do this on my own. I'll be back by dinner okay? You stay with your family."

Ginny wanted to argue, but she knew he had his back against the wall. She idealistically wanted him to come to her when he needed help, not constantly force her help down his throat.

"Okay," she finally replied. He leaned down and gave her a swift kiss and then walked upstairs to get ready. Completely forgetting the breakfast he had just prepared, as well as,his growling stomach, he Apparated away from the Burrow without another word to anybody.

**** *

"He's trying to protect me!" Ginny said, but her tone indicated only her anger at this fact as she flopped haphazardly onto her bed. "I thought I had set him straight . . . That we had reached an understanding . . . It's been days, he's not sleeping, he's not eating well. All he's been doing is attending those funerals, saying what's expected and taking in their pain like it's his own personal purgatory. I don't know what to do," she continued, anger instantly abating to sadness. She looked at Hermione, "you know as well as I do how stubborn he can be. I just . . . I want to make him better, happier. He deserves that."

"He really does," Hermione replied. "But he's not going to get over trying to protect you; you're going to have to live with that."

"No," corrected Ginny. "I'm going to have to work with that."

Hermione chuckled. "Well at least he found his match," she mumbled. "How are you doing with everything? You two have gotten so close so fast and now this strange connection thing . . ."

"Actually, in all the stuff that's happened in the last few months he and I are what makes the most sense."

"I know what you mean." A devious smile spread across Ginny's face.

"So, dish. How are things?"

Hermione turned red faced and looked to the ground. "You're his sister," she attempted to object.

"I'm your friend," Ginny countered. "Who else are going to share with . . . Harry? Oh that'd be a trip."

Hermione sighed, and rolled her eyes, "Everything is going well. I mean, I hope eventually we can have a semblance of a normal relationship, you know, like actually go on a date. But for now, having someone who is there for you so completely, certainly makes this easier. Besides, Ron is pretty good, surprisingly good, at the other stuff."

"Like comforting stuff? Really?"

"Well yes, he does always know what to say to me. But that's not what I meant . . ." Hermione let the sentence hanging adopting Ginny's previous devious smile.

"Oi! Remember that sister thing." They were laughing as Ron knocked on their room's door.

"What are we talking about?" he asked as he sprawled across the floor.

"You," Ginny replied. Ron, looking scandalized, turned to Hermione accusingly. She just shrugged. Ron growled deeply and pounced on Hermione's bed tickling her mercilessly.

Ginny shook her head in amusement. It seemed her dear old brother didn't have to search for Hermione's most tickly spots. Finally Hermione fought back in the only way she knew. She wrapped her body around his firmly and kissed him with abandon. The tickling stopped immediately. Ginny laughed aloud. Ron slid his lips away from Hermione's reluctantly.

"Why don't you go find Harry," he said pulling himself and Hermione back into a sitting position.

"I think I might," Ginny said with a weary sigh. "He's going to Colin Creevey's funeral, thankfully the last of them all, today, maybe I'll join him. Then I'm not going to 'help' him. I'm going to be at a friend's funeral."

"He's at another funeral?" Ron asked sobering up. "We've got to do something about this."

"Believe me, I know," Ginny mumbled. "Let's go." Determination filled her eyes and the tone of her voice. There would be no argument.

*****

The three Apparated to the Creevey doorstep, Ginny, side-along with Hermione. They were immediately ushered in by Collin's mother. She smiled at them through red-rimmed eyes.

"Oh good. More of Collin's school-friends, come in, come in." The room was filled with scattered groups of people. The walls were adorned with colorful displays of photographs. Many heads turned as they entered, and the quiet room grew quieter. Dennis ambled up to them and Ginny turned to embrace him.

"I'm glad you are here. Collin would want you to be here. I just want to make sure that everything today goes like he would want it." His voice trailed as if he was growing weary from all the fake optimism streaming out of his mouth.

Ginny tilted her head to catch his eyes, "Dennis. . . How are _i_ you /i doing?"

He gave her a shaky smile, opened his mouth and then the fake smile slipped. Under Ginny's concerned gaze he reluctantly admitted the truth. "Not so good. He was my best friend. My big brother. But he died doing what was right, fighting for what he cared about. I just have to keep reminding myself of that. Is Harry coming? I really hope he does. It would have meant so much to Collin. Plus, with him here, it's easier to remember that some things are worth fighting for, you know?" The three looked surreptitiously at each other starting to grasp why Harry was putting himself through this everyday.

"Come look at the walls, I put up a bunch of Collin's pictures." The three followed Dennis to a wall of pictures that featured mostly photos of DA members. Ginny's hand went automatically to the photos in front of her. It was a small display of pictures of her and Harry. There was a photo of them in the common room, their first kiss, and another of the two of them on the grounds leaning against their favorite tree. Ginny was snuggled closely between Harry's legs. Their heads were tilted just enough for them to look into each other's eyes. Ginny sighed, he had been so distant these last few days. She missed him.

"The service will be out back in the garden if you want to go find a seat," Dennis said wearily.

As they entered the garden, they found themselves surrounded by DA members. They all seemed to naturally aggregate together and the three of them were greeted with enthusiasm.

"Where's Harry?" someone asked after a while. Just then, from the far end of the garden came the distinctive, 'pop' of Apparition and Harry appeared. He staggered noticeably as he dizzyingly tried to focus his suddenly blurry vision.

Ginny rushed over to him and offered him a steadying hand. "Ginny," he said in an exhaled breath, a weary smile briefly graced his features. As he wrapped her in his arms

"Harry? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he responded quietly, withdrawing not just physically but emotionally as well.

"When was the last time you ate?" she asked.

"Umm. . ."

"Harry! You came!" exclaimed Dennis and everyone immediately turned to stare at him. Ginny watched as Harry immediately pulled himself taller and tried to shake the weariness off his face. Mr. and Mrs. Creevey approached him first.

"Oh, Harry, it's so nice to finally meet you," Mrs. Creevey said.

"With all the stories and pictures from the boys, we've heard so much about you. I'm so glad you came. It would mean so much to us and to Collin if you would say something during the service."

"Of course," Harry replied, and perhaps only Ginny could hear the exhaustion there. He gratefully took her hand as she led him to a seat. The spark that came from their clasped hands went unnoticed by both of them.

*****

Harry stood in front of them all, giving his umpteenth eulogy. But from the words flowing out of his mouth no one would have known it. His speech did not have a tired repetitive feel at all, but, he spoke kindly about Collin's life and sacrifice. Nearing the end he said, "I always admired Dennis and Collin, two brothers who were so close, not affected by the gap in their ages. They always . . ." Under the setting sun Harry staggered, and clenched the podium in front of him turning his knuckles white. His faced paled. Hermione gripped Ginny's arm tightly to keep her in her chair. They exchanged a pained expression. Harry took a deep breath, "They always brought such life and energy to the DA. Collin, we will miss you." Harry walked slowly and deliberately back to his seat.

*****

"Where'd Harry go now?" Hermione asked Ginny. Ginny just nodded her head to where Harry was still fielding crowds of people wanting to thank him, talk to him, and gleam comfort from his presence.

"He's going to make himself sick," Hermione complained.

"He already has," Ginny said quietly as she watched Harry excuse himself and head into the house.

Harry carefully extricated himself from the crowd. His head was pounding, his vision blurred, eager to avoid the crowd, he stumbled into one of the bedrooms in the house, feeling weaker and weaker. As soon as he was alone, he succumbed to his weakness, leaning forward onto his knees with both hands he breathed slowly trying to get over his dizziness. He loosened his tie and stumbled over to the bed.

"Damnit!" He cursed as he stumbled into the bedside table. Too weak to fight the momentum, he fell to the floor and dropped his head to his hands, as he crumpled to his knees. He was so angry with himself for this weakness. He realized not too long ago that he wasn't taking care of himself, but now he couldn't even stay on his feet.

"Oh, Harry," Ginny said softly rushing over to him. The one person in the whole world that he wanted right then, the only one whom he would let see him like this, in his most vulnerable of moments, came to him and he was grateful. He rose up on his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her stomach. She immediately leaned over him to thread her fingers into his hair.

"Harry, it's alright." He started to shake and drew in a shaky breath. "I just wish you'd let me help you."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said his voice muffled by the fabric of her black dress.

She dropped to her knees in front of him, bringing their faces level. "I know. But you have to take care of yourself," her voice screamed her sincerity as she held his face in both her hands, "you have to let me in. I just want you to be happy and healthy."

He smiled tiredly. "I just . . .I don't want to bring you down with me. I don't want to weigh you down with my baggage," he whispered.

Ginny face clenched with concern. "How you are feeling and admitting you need help to get through something is not baggage," Ginny stressed, "I love you, Harry. We are together in this, in everything. I am NOT your fair weather friend."

He didn't know how to respond, so he just kissed her tenderly. The sweet kiss was prolonged to make up for the lost time of the last few days. "I love you too."

"I understand why you've been going to these things. I get it, I do. But Harry, of course, it's going to take an emotional toll on you. It's hard to realize exactly how many families have been affected." Harry nodded.

"It's not just that, I just . . ." he trailed off and looked away.

'"Tell me," she said softly.

"It's going to make you angry . . ." The look in her eyes evoked his response despite his reluctance. "I want to do what I can, and if attending these funerals makes this easier for anyone, it's worth it. But it's just so hard. . .They all want to thank me and praise me, but all I want to do is beg their forgiveness for not acting sooner or faster. How can you not hate me?" He demanded suddenly. "Had I been more clever, Fred wouldn't . . ."

"Oh, Harry. You cannot do this. No one person can take on this burden. You have to let this misplaced guilt go or it will consume you. You ARE NOT responsible for everyone's death. It all falls on Riddle's shoulders. You are the one who made it all stop. You did the impossible. You saved us all. You can't blame yourself for not saving us faster. Harry, that would be impossible."

Harry took in her words as the healing balm they were, desperately clinging to their truth. He could feel himself begin to recover, but he was of no illusion that this would be a fast process. His hand went to her hair running his fingers through it. "I've missed you. I haven't been sleeping well without you in my arms."

"Well we'll have to see what we can do about that. But my arms are ready and willing right now. Why don't you sleep some now, you look like you really need it."

He chuckled. "Maybe we should just go home."

"After that dizzying Apparition I don't think so. At least some food; there's plenty to eat out there." Harry's gaze followed her nod to the door.

"No," he said in a whisper as he got shakily to his feet holding Ginny's hand in his own.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"Who," Harry responded gruffly as Rita Skeeter sauntered into the bedroom.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, her lioness streak flashed warningly.

"You would make a dreadful reporter I'm afraid, your question lacks any specificity. You'll never get the goods that way . . ." Rita admonished. "If you mean here in this room, well then the answer, silly girl, is obvious, I just received a whole new chapter for my new book and several juicy pictures to match."

"New book?' Harry asked wearily.

"Why yes, I'm writing your biography," She said with a smile. Harry groaned.

"Which brings me to other part of why I'm here. I'm hoping to procure some photos of you from the Creeveys."

"No, you will leave this family alone." Rita's look screamed her unspoken, 'yeah right'. "Please, just not today, leave them alone today."

"Time is money, Mr. Potter." Harry just shook his head. "How about an interview?"

"No."

"No," Both Harry and Ginny responded without a breath of hesitation. "We were just leaving," Ginny said in her best fake sweet voice.

Ginny managed to snag Hermione and Ron and ask them to Apparate both her and Harry back.

"Ginny, seriously I can Apparate home."

"No," she responded resolutely and then she leaned closer to whisper in his ear, placing both hands just above his waistband, "Splinching is too much of a risk in your state. There is not a single part of your body that I am willing to do without." The seductive tone of her voice squelched any other latent complaints.

"Back to the Burrow, home."


	10. Work and Play

Authors Note: It's been a long while since i've updated, but I have not given up on this story and plan to continue updating. Warning this part is a little more mature than the ones previous.

Part X- Work and Play

Her eyes trailed his every movement as he followed the crowd of officials down the Ministry's hallway. He was deep in conversation, probably not even aware of his surroundings or the people who stopped mid-sentence to gape at The Chosen One. He responded to Mockridge's question with passion as his hands gestured to emphasize whatever he was trying to get them to understand this time.

"He looks so much better," Hermione said so that only Ginny could hear. The motherly tenor of her voice made Ginny turn slightly to smile at her.

"I know," Ginny responded smirking without a trace of matronly tone. "How'd it go with the International Travel Office?"

"Fine. Now if we could just find the time to go . . . Look at them all jostling for Harry's attention." Harry was now surrounded by Ministry personnel. Each wanted his time, his input or simply his official approval. They had all come to the Ministry to deal with several matters. Their trip to Australia to find Hermione's parents not the least of them. The Ministry was aggressively working through war crime trials and it seemed that every trial had subpoenaed Harry, Hermione or one of the Weasleys.

"This is getting a little ridiculous," remarked Ginny though she seemed to find humor in the situation. "This demand on you guys is more than any adult witch or wizard should be expected to do. How come last year we were fighting to convince everyone we were all old enough to make our own decisions and join the fight and now we're working much harder to convince them all we need adolescent playtime?"

Hermione just laughed. "That's right; you and Ron did get some playtime last night," Ginny teased. Ginny laughed at Hermione's half-outraged face and dodged her slap.

"You heard us?" Hermione groaned.

"Shh. I heard enough of _that_ last night." She dodged Hermione's wayward hand again.

"Well . . ." Hermione sputtered. "What did you expect? We have how many years of . . .tension building up?" Ginny burst out laughing this time.

"Look at us laughing like schoolgirls," Hermione admonished.

"We are schoolgirls," Ginny interrupted. "I've got the pleated skirt to prove it."

"And then there's Harry."

"And Ron," Ginny added as both looked across the room at the two young men surrounded by Ministry officials. Ron seemed to be holding his ground on some issue and kept shaking his head. Harry's head whipped from one person to another as they addressed him in turn.

"Yeah, when did they grow up?" Hermione asked wistfully.

"A little after we did, I suppose," Ginny replied with a smirk. Her eyes continued to rake over Harry. The dark jeans fit him in all the right places. He was wearing the black, short-sleeved, button-up shirt tucked into the belt of his low riding jeans effectively accenting his broad shoulders. A boy he was no longer. Ginny's eyes stayed locked on him as he suddenly turned and caught her gaze.

He gave her a slow once over, his eyes locking on the way her teeth had trapped her lower lip. Ginny's eyes fell on the masculine angles of the cords of his neck and imagined running her lips over them, and over what lay hidden beneath his shirt. There was a cackle of energy, or perhaps magic in the air. Hermione looked between the pair and watched as the fire-like embers traveled from Harry's jaw line past the V of his shirt. She quickly turned to look at Ginny in time to see the same color display travel from Ginny's cheekbone, over her lips and then down under her chin.

Ginny held her lip deftly between her teeth to arrest the moan tempting to escape. She could swear that she felt Harry's mouth working its own special magic. The air felt cool as the trail of heat that felt identical to Harry's mouth moved down her neck. All logic flew out of her mind as she felt the phantom mouth descend over the small valley of her sternum to reach the swell of her breast. The rise of desire in her only made her want to follow this same path herself on Harry. He looked so broad and toned, she imagined her mouth grazing over the sensitive skin of his collarbone as she continued down . . .

"Uh, Ginny?" Hermione asked with slight alarm as she watched Harry jump. Ginny shook her head and turned to Hermione trying to focus. Harry had to ask whoever was talking to him to repeat what he had just said. Ginny drew in a deep calming breath.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"Weren't you just telling me all about sexual tension?" Ginny tried to laugh it off, though obviously a bit shaken. "That's it. They can't fix all of the Wizarding world's problems today; time for a break." Ginny walked purposely forward standing right amongst the throng of ministry people next to Harry. She waited politely for a moment.

"Yes, I could come over to see Gringotts rearrangement in person. Though it may have to wait until after we get back." Several people jostled to respond to this, but Ginny beat them to it. She leaned in on the back of his shoulder, running one hand down his arm to find his hand and resting her chin just to the side of where then embers had been.

"Sorry, but even The-Chosen-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Become-The-Man-Who-Saved-Us-All has to eat lunch." Her face offered a fake sweet smile before turning to Harry. His face was right there and their foreheads met as their noses grazed together Ginny pulled away playfully trying to escape the soon to be very public kiss afraid of where it might it may lead, regardless of their audience.

"We need to talk," she whispered. "Please tell me you just felt what I felt?"

Harry blinked rapidly and then nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah. . . time for me to go." And with that he left the encroaching group.

"We'll catch up with you later," Ginny yelled at Hermione as Harry now was tugging her along with sudden haste. Ginny had to jog a few steps to keep up with him, and their rush made people turn to stare. Ginny giggled. Harry turned at the sound and grinned impishly. They entered the main lobby finally free to Apparate.

"Harry? Where are we going?" Ginny laughed.

"The Burrow. It's empty." His answer was deep, husky, and Ginny simply grabbed him tightly to indicate her readiness.

He was kissing her even before the Burrow's familiar walls had focused. Ginny staggered at the intensity before she responded in kind. They both stumbled through the house and to the stairs. Ginny continued up the stairs backwards barely loosing rhythm.

"So," Harry expelled breathlessly between kisses. "What I felt that was . . .what?" He gasped as Ginny gave up on his mouth … if he insisted on talking . . . and worked her way down his neck. "I felt you . . ." They reached the landing.

Ginny kissed her way up to his ear. "I think you felt what I was fantasizing about doing to you . . ." Ginny's mouth continued to work on his ear, which slowed the time in which it took Harry to process this theory.

"Oh. Merlin. You were. . .fantasizing . . ." Faster than Ginny could laugh at his response, Harry was walking her backward as he used both arms running up her back to meld her to him. He continued until the small of her back hit the railing of the staircase landing. He dipped her back until she was arched over the railing, his mouth feasting over the newly exposed skin of her neck. After a moment, Ginny slowly curled back up creating as much friction as possible in their upper bodies, until their eyes were level. They both froze, eyes locked, breathing coming out in fast huffs. The moment lasted only a second and then they crashed back together. Harry lifted her at the waist and Ginny automatically lifted her legs around his hips. Harry walked backwards until he reached her bedroom door. He paused outside, suddenly hesitant. Ginny slid her legs to the ground, and her hand around his hip to the doorknob. She turned the knob and pushed him backwards to her bed. She settled slowly onto his lap, gasping at the new friction. Harry moaned as Ginny abruptly changed the pace. She moved slowly now. Her mouth reached his only after the longest moment of delightful anticipation. Her kiss was slow, passionate, their tongues met deftly as she slowly shifted some her weight to her knees and then at a snail's pace lowered her weight more firmly on Harry's lap.

"Ginny." The name slid out of Harry's mouth with reverence. He felt Ginny's responding smile against his face and he knew it was time to flip the tables. His hands, currently restrained in the loops of Ginny's pants, deftly found their way to the creamy skin under her shirt. Ginny's stomach muscles twitched as he grazed the ridiculously smooth skin there. His hands continued around following the small of her back as his fingers trailed down her spine. His fingers slid a fraction of an inch below the waist of her jeans before he could stop himself. Ginny's legs tensed in response and Harry let her ease him back until he was flat on the bed. Ginny's hand's flitted over the top buttons of his shirt to make more room for her mouth as she planted kissed down over his chest.

His hands, now free to roam, delighted in the involuntary twitch response of her skin as his hands explored over her ribcage. Ginny moved restlessly and Harry groaned in response.

"Please," she said quietly as his hand shied away from the bottom edge of her bra. He froze. Ginny flipped her long hair back to one side to see him better. She shifted slightly down so Harry's hand found more satin fabric. Harry kept his eyes on her as he let his hand go where it had been dying to go for ages. His hand moved tentatively over the malleable area watching her reaction, his confidence was bolstered by the look of pleasure on her face, and his hand began to move more assuredly. Ginny bent and captured his mouth in a searing kiss. She felt his hips quiver a bit as he fought to control them. The kiss began to ease in intensity until it became just pecks. They rested their foreheads together and released a shuddered breath.

Harry closed his eyes, "time to slow," he took a forcefully slow breath.

"Down," Ginny finished and they laughed lightly. Ginny slid off Harry and tucked herself against his side still resting half on his chest. Harry's hand rose to run through her hair. The breathing slowed and the room was filled with contentment. The minutes slipped by without any trace of urgency or tension.

"How did everything go with the Ministry?" Ginny asked quietly propping up on her elbow to see his face.

"Good. Apparently Wizarding international travel is really complicated right now. After everything Hermione's done . . .I don't want her to have to wait any longer to see her parents." He sighed, and a crease of worry appeared between his eyes.

"It seems everyone with any sort of power is terrified of making the wrong choices. They all want reassurances that what they are doing is the right course of action."

"Makes sense, I guess. No one wants to be remembered as the one who made all the wrong choices after the war. Nobody wants to be remembered like the Crouches. Getting your approval is like insurance."

"It's just so strange. After years of trying to get their attention, begging them to listen to me, suddenly my opinion matters."

Ginny smiled lightly, "Does it feel that way to you? Maybe it's harder for you to see, but everyone has taken your opinion pretty seriously for a while, well, the Order at least. They've been following your lead, which is pretty crazy considering you aren't even a full-fledged member. I'll bet we won't need extendable ears to listen into meetings anymore."

Harry laughed and Ginny studied his face. "Do you like it? Working with the Ministry I mean."

"Do I like it?" Harry sounded taken aback; like he hadn't thought about it.

"Yes. Do you enjoy the time you spend straightening problems at the ministry?"

"It seems kind of necessary. They need me; at least they think they do."

Ginny smiled, "I know why you help. It's in your nature. It's the noble thing to do." Her fingers traced the smooth skin exposed from his partially unbuttoned shirt. "It's part of the reason I love you so much. But . . . Is it something you enjoy? Do you want to keep doing it? It just seems that you've always had jobs thrust upon you. But at some point," Ginny's eyes bore deep into his. "You should be able to choose your future."

"I guess I've never thought of it like that, as a job I could choose. I suppose I can see it . . . working to protect people . . . I guess a part of me still pictures myself becoming an Auror. After everything . . . Does that seem crazy? Right now all I know I want is . . ." Harry dropped his eyes, reddening at his cheesy admission, "you."

Ginny automatically leaned up to kiss him. They broke off abruptly as Harry's stomach gave an untimely grumble. Ginny laughed and pulled a reluctant Harry to his feet.

***

At the corner of the Weasley's oversized dining room table, leaning over a single plate of food, was the picture of a normal couple. Smiling surreptitiously at one another, playing footsie under the table, no one would ever guess the topic of their conversation.

"So, you're thinking we should try to get to Australia, before the trials start, but first, maybe explore this uh. . .thing we share." Ginny resisted the urge to laugh. She didn't fall for him because of his way with words.

"Yeah, I think we need to sort of try to use it. Like earlier today, what was that? What if we hold the key to protecting ourselves or each other and we don't figure out how. . ." Ginny's face betrayed the underlying problem.

"Ginny." Harry started, as worry crinkled in the corner of his eyes. "You're still scared for me aren't you?"

"Well of course I am. I've been worrying non-stop for years. Every year the threats on your life increase. Maybe if you could go a couple consecutive months without a threat on your life, I'd feel better." Ginny started out defensive, but her deep-seated fears shone through more with every word. Harry grabbed her hand and placed a light kiss on it. It's not like he could deny the validity of her statement.

"I admit I like the idea that there's something between us that could help you. It ... it makes me feel like … there's something I can do. That I can make a difference."

"Gin, of course you make a difference . . . you've always made the difference."

"Now, I know how you felt all those years when Dumbledore told you your power was loooovvvee."

Harry laughed and nodded, "Yeah, it was ridiculously frustrating, he said it like it would solve all my problems . . . But maybe . . . we need to remember that in the end, he was right."

POP. The distinctive sound of Apparition preceded Hermione and Ron's entrance.

"See! I told you that they'd be here. I know things, I'm not as oblivious as you think." Hermione rolled her eyes behind his back and mouthed a saucy, "your welcome," to Ginny. Ginny nodded, acknowledging her gratitude for Hermione's attempt to stall Ron.

"So what are we talking about?" Ron asked, plopping down at the table and helping himself to Harry and Ginny's plate.

"Actually, we were just thinking about dabbling in some exploratory magic." Ron's reaction didn't disappoint, his face, as always, formed a rather comical contortion.

"We're just thinking about seeing what this magical amplification thing can do. But we figured we'd better call in the big guns before messing around." Harry responded.

"The big guns?" Hermione inquired.

"By that he means you," Ginny responded. Hermione just rolled her eyes as the others laughed.

****

"This is strange, I feel like a major creeper," Ron complained, tossing his head back in exasperation from his place lounging on the grass near the burrow's garden. They had just spent the last hour watching Harry and Ginny stare at each other to no avail.

"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way . . .What has triggered the interaction or your magic before?" Hermione asked.

"Well, life and death seems to do it," Harry stated with his particular brand of dark humor. "But if you think I'm going to let . . ."

"Relax. That's not quite all. I think what really triggers it, is heightened emotion. Think about it. Sure, the first time with that cage-like shield, it was life and death, but you two didn't have much trouble when Tiberius first told you about what was happening your magic just . . . reacted. But at the time, both of your emotions must have been ricocheting, dealing with the Ministry, retelling the Hallows story, and Ginny after hearing Neville talk about how horrible Hogwarts had been . . . "

"So you're saying we need to reach some sort of emotional hysteria in order to master this thing?" Harry asked.

"I'm saying I think that the way to learning to control it, will involve some sort of increased emotional context." Harry continued to give her the same exasperatedly confused look.

"So what should we do? Start thinking about things that really annoy us like, Navier, or Rita Skeeter?" Harry asked.

"I don't think that would really do it; you to need to be well connected in some way . . .both physically and emotionally probably . . ."

"If you think we should snog, why don't you just come out and say it?" Ginny asked Hermione and then turned to give Harry coy look.

"Well… yes, I think that may work . . . at least to get us somewhere."

"Hermione," moaned Ron, "You aren't seriously helping Harry get somewhere with my sister, are you?"

"From what I can tell, he doesn't need the help," Hermione replied just to get a rise out of him. Harry turned red and scuffed his feet on the ground. Ron had mostly been accepting of him and Ginny. Especially lately, when he had needed her more and more. He didn't want to push his luck.

"Okay, try it. Focus on each other. Try to lead your magic to the other. I think you'll need to reach a state where your magic is reacting together before trying to harness that power with a spell . . ." All three of them turned to Harry expectantly. He turned to Ginny clearing his throat unnecessarily. He reached one hand to smooth her wind brushed hair out of her face. Ron sighed loudly and Harry hesitated.

"I can't . . I'm sor-" Ginny ignored him and kissed his open mouth, turning him so his back was to Hermione and Ron. She threaded her fingers through the loops of his jeans pulling him closer and effectively flooding all thoughts of their audience from his mind. His hand went back to her hair caressing it in a way that made her feel adored. He could feel her fingers crawling up his sides, like she couldn't get him close enough, and he realized that was how Ginny made him feel, not just needed, but wanted. Right then he realized he didn't often feel that way. They pulled apart slowly, maintaining eye contact. Harry's hand, still at her face, left a trail of warm colored sparks.

Ginny felt surrounded in all that was Harry. His scent surrounded her and brought a sense of comfort.

"Try a protecting spell," she coaxed.

"Protego," Harry said and a wall of interweaving fireworks webbed in front of him, from his wand tip outward, but it did not cage over them, it merely blocked in front of him.

"Let's try it together," Ginny suggested.

Again, "Protego," they both exclaimed, and webs sprang from two wands, meeting and interweaving to form a dome around them.

"Wow," Ron said standing up.

"We should test it," Hermione stated. "I'll try some harmless jinxes." Hermione proceeded to whip silent spells at the web, and nothing seemed to pass through.

"Try sending some spells out at us." A second later, Ron collapsed in a fit of girlish giggles.

"Guess that works . . . "Ginny said smirking.

They continued to test and practice, learning that Harry and Ginny could incorporate both Hermione and Ron into the protective dome, but only if they were touching them when they first said the spell. They were testing the speed at which they could resurrect the shield when Harry noticed something. Hermione was sending rapid nonverbal spells, and, suddenly, instead of casting a shield charm, Harry fired back the exact counter curse.

"Woah, what was that? How did you . . .?" Hermione asked frozen in surprise.

"I don't know. I just knew what you were . . ."

"You could read my mind!" Hermione sounded half scandalized and half curious.

"No. . .no. . .It's not like we could hear your voice," Ginny chimed in.

"Okay, let's pull the emergency brakes on this race-broom. What are you all talking about?"

"Harry sent the exact counter-curse for my nonverbal spell."

"Wicked! You read her mind. Hey, Harry, could you see if -?

"Ron!" Hermione placed a hand on her hip that jutted out to the side as she tilted her head up to look at Ron. He lived for that reaction.

"Okay, I'm kidding."

"I didn't read her mind. I could just sense what spell was coming at me."

"Yeah," agreed Ginny. "The answer just appeared there, I didn't even know the question at first."

"Okay, so far, this magical link has improved your defensive abilities. I'm wondering what kind of offensive tricks there are, if any. . ." She paused in thought a second and then, unexpectedly, grabbed Ron's wrist. "It's time to go," Hermione stated looking determinedly at Harry. "The International Travel Office secretary said my needs weren't dire and to come back later for an appointment."

"Okay what time is your appointment?" Harry asked.

"Four weeks. . ."

"Then why. . ."

"Well I overheard the department head and a couple workers talking about taking a long lunch. And they. . .well Harry they seemed eager to try to "accidentally" run into you." She looked to Harry eagerly. She hadn't looked at him like that since she had begged him to join S.P.E.W.

"What?" Harry asked clueless as always.

"Well I was hoping you could come with me and, you know . . ."

"Yeah, actually I was thinking we should all go with you to get your parents. We still have no leads to capturing the people who attacked us at the memorial. Safety in numbers?"

"You say safety, I say vacation," Ron responded with mock-gravity.

****

Hermione was downright giddy. As she bounced around the Burrow's kitchen helping clean-up. She seemed to find Harry's new hero status rather amusing. She continued to regale the Weasleys with her story about their meeting at International Travel Office.

"I walk in first and the secretary starts telling me how her boss is unavailable . . .I need an appointment . . . blah-blah-blah. Then she looks up as sees Harry leaning oh-so-casually against the desk. She starts practically drooling all over him." Harry rolled his eyes at Hermione's exaggeration. "And immediately her boss is suddenly available. And this woman turns to me and says, 'see, we have important people and important business to deal with. You'll need an appointment.' She turns to Harry and says in this sickly sweet voice, 'right this way sir,'" The whole kitchen was in stitches. Hermione was telling stories and doing horrible impersonations. It was just too much. "So I follow Harry. And he just turned to her and said," Hermione deepened her voice in what had to be the worst rendition of Harry ever done, "'She's with me.' After that, it was all smooth sailing." She turned to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, "Special circumstances were granted and they said we can Portkey. Though they suggest taking one Portkey halfway, and another the rest of the way, so we don't get motion sickness. I'm just so excited. I miss my parents. I'm still really worried, but right now excitement is winning."

"So the plan is to leave tomorrow?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Yeah," Ron replied. "We need to get back before the trials start rolling."

"And trying to stop Hermione from getting what she wants . . .never a successful plan," Ginny added cheekily.

"You know I've got to say it . . ." Mrs. Weasley started in her best I'm-your-mother so-you-better-listen voice. "Please be careful.

"And try to do at least a little relaxing." Mr. Weasley added.

***

They all double-checked that their bags were tightly restrained as the four surrounded an old tin can.

"Okay, now remember, wait at least ten minutes before grabbing the second Portkey. Your crossover Portkey will drop you in the Chinese Ministry terminal. There will be a stand with the next Portkey with your names over it. It will have a locking mechanism so that it will only work when all four of you touch it. Alright?"

"Okay," they responded.

"Then, whenever you're ready."

***

The landing was disorienting enough. Traveling that far via Portkey was not the most pleasant sensation. But things were never simple for them. They were immediately greeted by a crowd of cheering people surrounding the Portkey stand that was labeled with their names. Girls were pointing and crying, like they were the Weird Sisters at the height of their popularity. One wizard pushed through the crowd and was shaking Harry's hand vigorously.

"Tis such an honor. Ever since you defeated the Dark One, his followers here have vanished. Poof! Like magic!"

A young witch came forward to Hermione. "We talked about you in my world issues class. You are so smart. I want to be just like you." The four were very taken aback. What they were saying was so touching, but it was so disorienting and claustrophobic.

_Don't take the Portkey. Come with me instead._ The words echoed in Hermione's head. And she accepted them easily and all thoughts of Australia flew out of her head. The same phrase reverberated in Harry's head too. He felt an immediate urge to comply. But then, who was he to follow? What about Hermione's parents? _No,_ Harry thought, _Something's not right._ And then it dawned on him, someone was trying to place the imperious curse on them.


	11. The Growing Weed

Part XI- The Growing Weed

_Don't take the Portkey._ The words repeated in Harry's head. _Come with me. _Harry forced the thought out, fighting the Imperius command with practiced ease. _COME WITH ME. FORGET THE PORTKEY. THIS IS THE SAFE WAY. _After a moment of concentration, Harry fought it off completely and immediately grabbed Ginny's hand. Their eyes met in a moment of panic as they both realized someone among the crowd was an enemy. Ron lifted his foot to step away from them and it shook mid-step as he realized the movement was against his will. He grabbed Hermione and pulled her to his chest to both keep himself still and keep her near him.

They condensed defensively. Without a word, they all angled out, backs together, to protect all sides.

"It's not time yet. The Portkey isn't ready," Harry stated urgently.

"Who? Who sent the curse?" Hermione asked her eyes searching the crowd. The crowd looked confused as they took in the urgency and defensiveness of the English foreigners' stance. They too became alarmed; worried that dueling was about to break out in the populated rotunda of the Chinese Ministry.

Despite her panic, Ginny felt fortified. It was like Harry was a part of her consciousness. She could sense his nearness both physically and mentally, but in reality, they were surrounded by a hectic crowd, with no way of identifying their enemy. It would almost have been easier to face a crowd of enemies then to face a crowd of innocent bystanders with one enemy hidden amongst them. At least then they could fight.

Under the amplifying magical current that now connected Harry and Ginny, Harry suddenly sensed an oncoming silent Cruciatus curse heading straight for her. He pulled her roughly behind him and the curse brushed closely by him. Both their heads whipped toward the sender of the unforgivable curse, who, through their connection, was now apparent.

As their combined magic continued to course seamlessly from Harry to Ginny, they both had the same inclination. Capture this man, or never know why they were being attacked. Simultaneously, they took a step toward the man, eager to close the distance between them and the enemy so they could counter attack without hurting someone in the crowd. The man began a hasty retreat in response and ran headlong into a bystander stumbling down. There was a sudden break in the crowd, leaving the path to their attacker open.

"Incarcerous!" They both shouted, but instead of ropes, a magically interweaving web, like the protective dome they had used, sprung out from the point where the line of their wands intersected. The growing web flipped like a broken umbrella over their assailant. It fell like a net over him. He fought, but could not even reach a standing position. He began shouting spells at it in attempt to destroy it, to no avail.

"Accio wand!" Ginny called. She deftly caught it as the stick slipped easily through the surface of the thick web. "Who knows if that web will hold back Unforgivables," she said to Harry's surprised face.

"NO!" They heard Hermione yell from a few paces behind them. They turned to see her use her entire body weight to shove Ron to the floor. A curse flew over his head as a female in a dark robe turned to whip another curse at them.

Ron swung his feet at Hermione's swiftly knocking her to the ground while shouting, "Protego!" Hermione fell to his lap with an "umph," but she was safely under the shield of Ron's spell. Hermione popped back to her feet pulling Ron up with her as she ran at the retreating attacker. The woman shoved past the exit and apparated the second she reached the outside of the rotunda.

Doors surrounding the immense round room they were in the center of opened, as wizards in deep red robes and black and gold, domed, silk hats filed into the room with a great deal of choreographic precision. Hermione and Ron hurried to Harry and Ginny's side where the man lay, still imprisoned by the almost liquid net.

"Chinese Aurors, or more people out to get us?" Harry asked wryly.

"Aurors," stated Hermione firmly. "Just look at the people's reaction. They're calm. The arrival of the Aurors reassures them. Plus I've seen their uniforms in a book."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Of course you have," he muttered.

"What is this? What happened?" The Auror in the center asked in clear but accented English.

"This man, he attacked us," Ron stated, pointing to the ground.

"What? Here in the ministry? Why you?" But the pointing and whispering had already started. Harry shifted awkwardly from foot to foot only half his attention was on the people gawking at his telltale scar, the other half was scanning the crowd and watching the captured man. The open space had originally seemed extravagant, but friendly. Now it just felt unsafe.

"Zarry Potter?"

"Uh, yes. Do you think maybe we could move to a better location to discuss this? I really don't know how long this will hold." Harry said pointing to the man at his feet.

"Yes. Yes, of course." He then turned to the Aurors behind him and began giving orders in rapid Chinese. Two men came forward and magically put the man into a deep sleep. They went to levitate him, but couldn't seem to lift the man past the restraints of the net.

"Wat is dis magic?" Harry and Ginny looked guiltily at each other.

"Uh. . ." Harry turned to Ginny. "Maybe if we just remove it together?" They grabbed hands. "Relashio." The net seemed to snake into the ground as it fell away. The two Aurors levitated the prisoner and led him out one of the doors.

"This way," Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione fell in line behind the strange procession and followed the man out of the rotunda and down a corridor that exited the round room like the spoke of a wheel. They continued until they reached other door the two Aurors in front crossed the long rectangular room, put the prisoner in the back corner, then conjured a wall with floor to ceiling transparent material.

"Impenetrable wall," answered the apparent leader to their silent question, as he gestured for them to take a seat at the long rectangular conference table. Looking cautiously at one another they all slowly sat down across from the Chinese officials.

"My name is, Aiguo. I am the head of defense in China. We have contacted the Minister and he is on his way, but we must discuss what has happened. You must understand this does not happen here. That round room is the international terminal, where all foreigners must pass if they are entering or passing through China. It has always been a place of great pride for China. It is always welcoming and, above all, safe, at least until now. We are so sorry that the security necessary to accommodate your stature was not met."

Ginny almost smiled as Harry shifted in predictable discomfort.

"Oh, uh, we didn't expect any special treatment," Harry responded.

"We didn't expect a crowd. Apparently news of your travels hit the press and people came to see you."

"What!? Great," Ginny responded, her eyes narrowing, the press was becoming increasingly troublesome.

Aiguo looked slightly uncomfortable. "It seems congratulations are in order," he said to Harry and Ginny. Their confused expressions pushed him further. "On your nuptials and your soon to be first born."

Ron gaped. Hermione giggled. Harry spluttered.

"Is that what the papers say, Harry and I are having a shotgun wedding?" Ginny asked, her temper rising. Troublesome didn't even begin to describe them.

"Actually they say you're coming to China for your honeymoon."

Harry knew that look, Ginny's temper was soon going to get the best of her. He grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"We're not married. She's not pregnant. Feel free to repeat that to everyone you know." Harry stated succinctly wanting to both change the subject and get back to the issues at hand. "So we know why people were here waiting for our arrival, and that anyone could have used that information to plan an attack."

"Yes. What happened exactly?" They quickly reviewed the facts. Hermione and Ron gave through descriptions of the female attacker. On the topic of how Harry and Ginny subdued the assailant, they claimed it was complicated but basically a strong binding spell.

"Now what?" Hermione asked. "Will you question the attacker with Veritaserum?"

"Yes. One of the other Aurors is retrieving it now. The use of Unforgivables, and attacking someone in the rotunda are very serious charges; he is now compelled to take the serum and then stand trial." The doors swung open revealing an Auror with a vial of Veritaserum and a man who could only be the Chinese minister. His presence made up for his short stature. It was evident that he was important by his confident posture and the way his face was slightly upturned, even if you discounted the four serious looking Aurors that surrounded him.

"Harry Potter. It is such an honor to have you here." The four hastened to stand up and shake the minister's hand.

"Also a great pleasure to meet those who fought so strongly against the evil that raged in England. The situation had become most dire. England is such a strong magical power for its peace to be thwarted by a growing evil… It frightened us all. The European countries had seen such an insurgence in violence and Dark Arts. It was also rumored that the, Death Eaters, I believe you call them, had began recruiting here as well. I had hoped that it was just fear and hysteria building up such rumors, but," he cast a disproving glance at the man still in a deep artificial sleep, "I guess it's time to find out."

They all turned to watch the Aurors restrain, revive and then force feed the Veritaserum. The tension in the room grew thick as the man's head whipped up and began cursing at his predicament. Aiguo stepped forward his presence was commanding sure to strike fear in anyone he opposed. He cast a spell with a strange incantation. Hermione gasped. "Oh." She said in comprehension.

"What is your name?" Aiguo asked in Chinese, but an English translation followed his words by a beat. It sounded like someone was standing directly behind them whispering the same conversation in English. Hermione's curiosity piqued at the display of complex magic she had not witnessed before.

"Jianjun," came out through gritted teeth as the man struggled in attempt to fight the Veritaserum.

"What was your purpose here today?"

Jianjun's head rolled from side to side. He strained against his bounds, but was unable to avoid the coerced answer. "To capture Harry Potter," he spat on the ground in distaste, "and his heinous friends."

"Why?"

"To punish him for his destruction of the Dark Lord, and to learn how to resurrect our Dark Master. The capture of Harry Potter will put the Chinese sector on the map, all others will turn to us to lead the Dark Order." The man's teeth slammed shut with an audible snap. He looked outraged at the words that fell from his mouth.

Everyone in the room stopped breathing as the meaning of these words sunk in. Chinese sector . . . Dark Order. Harry's mind raced at the implications. How far had been Riddle's reach? How long would it take to clear the world of the evil seeds Voldemort had sown? He felt Ginny squeeze his hand and turned to her to see her indicate with her chin to the minister.

"Harry? Harry, is it possible to resurrect You Know Who?"

"Um, no," Harry said trying to bring his mind to the present, "No. He is gone for good."

"What is the Chinese sector? How many members are there?"

"The Chinese sector is a sleeper cell of the Dark Order." Jiajun sneered.

"How many . . ." Aiguo began to repeat, but was cut-off by the dark laughter of Jiajun.

"I don't know how many, nor do I know any of the members' names." He laughed again. "The Dark Order is much smarter than that." They all sat back a second, stunned, at a loss for words. Harry's eyes narrowed.

"Who is the leader in China?" Harry asked staring at Jiajun with intense scrutiny. When Jiajun's eyes met with Harry's, they were full of resentment. Jiajun was clearly hoping to avoid being asked that question.

"Who is the leader?" Harry asked more forcefully as he bent down to where he was right in Jiajun's unavoidable line of site.

"Selwyn," came spilling out of Jiajun's clenched teeth. Harry sat back. So there it was, the English Death Eaters had reached abroad just as Dumbledore had expected. Fury entered Harry as fast and powerful as Fiendfyre. Voldemort destroyed so much of England, so many families. Had he paved the way for so many successors? How do you fight something like this? An enemy with no boundaries, with a constantly changing staff of perpetrators, one that was organized by the man who had been able to infiltrate and take over the English Ministry of Magic!

Each muscle in his body clenched the more he thought of it. Ginny reached an arm up his back hidden from the rest. She kneaded the muscles as best she could for this angle and ran soothing motions on his shirt; the tiniest fraction of tension was released. Ginny snaked her hand under his shirt and began slowly tracing her fingers up his spine. She felt Harry's breathing begin to slow and felt him fight the rising panic and release the tension from his body.

He looked down at her and sent her a gracious smile. His eyes met hers. He shouldn't have been surprised to see the determination and the fight there instead of the more normal response of fear, but he was. He didn't think Ginny's strength would ever cease to surprise him. The Fiendfyre flames of fury rescinded and were replaced by a much stronger, more powerful and ultimately more useful fire.

Aiguo continued the interrogation, questioning everything he could think of: known locations of meetings, future plans, how recruitments were accomplished, until finally he gleamed all he could. The two Aurors put Jiajun back into a deep slumber and then moved him out of the corridor.

"We'll bring him to a more secure holding facility now."

The atmosphere was still tense. It reminded Harry of the last time he had witnessed an interrogation under Veritaserum, but that was so long ago. Before he really understood what true evil was.

"Will you be contacting Kingsley, or should I directly?" Harry asked wanting to make sure they understood he did not plan on keeping this information to himself.

"We will update him as soon as we have established safe communication. We also will be assigning you a security detail for the remainder of your stay in China."

"We, uh, didn't plan to stay long. In fact we are supposed to be on our way to Australia," Hermione interjected.

"Of course, miss. It will take at least a day to coordinate a new Portkey with the Australian Ministry, which we will be more than happy to arrange."

"Thank you," Harry replied, but was cut-off by the Chinese minister.

"No. We assured your Ministry you could travel through China safely, and you were forced to defend yourselves against an unknown enemy in a crowded area, yet not a single bystander was injured. It is you we have to thank."

"Oh, this is not your fault, we tend to attract trouble," Ron added.

"Your gracious understanding is much appreciated," Aiguo concluded. He turned to Harry, "It seemed the name Selwyn, seemed to have some meaning for you."

"Yes." Harry hesitated a breath and then decided he had always been a fan of open communication. "Selwyn is a known Death Eater; he worked for the Ministry in England."

"He tried more than once to kill us last year, and I think he is on the missing Death Eater list we made with the Ministry," Ron added.

"He may still be working with Dolohov. Dolohov appears to be the ring leader of the remaining Death Eaters," Hermione interjected.

"At least he is the one who led the attack at the Memorial service at Hogwarts," Ginny finished.

Aiguo and the Minister gave them appraising looks. They spoke of being attacked like it was a common thing, Death Eaters weren't a group of faceless foes, but people they knew by face and name, people they had met and fought. It was disorienting.

"We will continue to compile all the information we can and will inform the International Confederation of Wizards of what has transpired here today."

"You may want to look into increasing security if you are holding Jiajun here," Harry added.

"Of course, Jiajun will be carefully guarded, no break-out will be possible."

"Well, if he was working with people trained by Death Eaters, they may be more interested in killing him to protect their secrets, and they won't care how many innocents are killed in the process."

Aiguo accepted this information solemnly. "Thank you for your help," he concluded sincerely.

****

The sun was warm on their skin. The sand made a perfect squeak as they shifted. The waves of heat pushed against their clasped hands and closed eyelids. Waves crashed, and birds called, filling up the entirety of sound space. From afar they were the picture of normal, two young kids enjoying the beach and a carefree vacation, that was, at least, until you looked closer. The sun reflected the gleam of old wounds and rebounded off the sun protection spell. What appeared to be a cross of sticks in the sand laid within easy reach of the two wrapped hands. Strangely, an old rusty soup can lay carefully against their pile of towels.

"How's the sun protection spell holding up? Does it need to be redone?" The redhead girl asked with closed eyes and smirking lips.

"Har-har, I've already reapplied it five times today . . . You know maybe we should have done it the Muggle way."

"Sounds a bit risky, Pasty."

"You're one to talk, Freckles."

"Okay, so how _do_ the Muggles do it?"

"Well it's this type of lotion, kind of like a potion. And you have to apply it to all exposed skin . . ."

With a toss of red hair she was propped up on her elbow looking into his smirking features. "Why, Mr. Potter, that sounds like quite the proposition. You better be careful or you'll ruin your perfect Golden-Chosen-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Save-The-Wizarding-World-And-Keep-Kittens-Out-Of-Trees image."

"I think the current belief is that I'm the Chosen-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Save-The-Wizarding-World-And-Knock-Up-His-Girlfriend," he teased back. "Besides, I can think of better ways to ruin that image." They shifted closer; the grins slowly slid off their lips at the last possible second to allow them to meet for a not so chaste kiss. He pulled her closer delighted at the amount of soft smooth skin her bathing suit left exposed. "What could I have possibly done to deserve this?" Harry mumbled into her neck.

Ginny laughed and pulled away. "What was that?" Harry ducked his head in embarrassment.

"I said that out loud?" he asked sheepishly.

"Mmm hmm," she replied, smiling while shifting closer. Harry couldn't stop his eyes from briefly dropping from her face. She slanted an eyebrow at him when his eyes rose back to hers giving him a knowing smirk. He had the courtesy to look guilty. She laughed thoroughly, tossing her head back. Harry growled deep in his throat in a mock menacing way. Ginny widened her eyes in an exaggerated doe-eyed expression. Harry pounced, abandoning his towel for hers. He kissed her as he pushed her back. They both fell back soundlessly onto to the soft sand. Ginny's hands flitted over the taunt muscles of his back, smiling as he made his way down her neck, her face morphed into a mischievous expression that would have given her away, if Harry could see it. With the tried and true practice of someone with six older brothers, she wrapped her leg around Harry's and an arm around his waist. She yanked suddenly, flipping them. Harry found himself looking up into her playful eyes and then she took off running to the ocean. He high tailed after her as they both went splashing into the water.

****

"How are you doing?" Ron asked as he and Hermione continued their stroll down the beach.

"Oh, I'm just feeling anxious." She turned to see Ron's intense stare as he listened to her and gave him a confused look.

"What?" He asked.

"It's weird, I mean don't get me wrong it's nice, but still definitely different for you to be so . . . serious . . . and sincere."

Ron grinned. "I know. I still struggle to remember that I don't have to pretend . . ." Ron trailed off looking to the ground.

"Pretend. . ?"

Ron sighed, staring at his feet, which were shuffling awkwardly back and forth. "Yeah, you know, pretend I am only your friend, pretend I don't care about you more than I should, pretend I'm not attracted to you . . ."

Hermione cut him off by ducking to kiss his down-turned face.

"I'm glad we don't have to pretend too," she said smiling as she began pulling him off the beaten path.

"Hermione? Where are we going?" She looked left and right and then launched herself into his arms, kissing him fiercely. Ron groaned as she molded her bikini-clad body to his.

"It's nice, you know," she breathed out between kisses.

"What is?"

"To know I'm not the only one who's been hiding their attraction." Ron's response left no more breath for dialogue.

****

Treading playfully in the water, Harry and Ginny tried to catch their breath after their game of cat and mouse.

"It was really nice of the Chinese Minister to offer us his private beach while we wait for the Portkey," Ginny commented.

"Yeah, and the Aurors are really good," Harry commented. "It's almost too easy to forget they're watching."

"Yeah. . ." Ginny swam closer and wrapped her arms around Harry. "How are you doing? Really?" she asked.

Harry gave her a sad smile. "Honestly, I'm trying not to think about everything."

"And how's that going for you?" Harry laughed.

"I think you may know me too well." Ginny just continued to regard him seriously. Harry sighed. "Dumbledore was right to worry about Riddle's work outside England. I guess it should be obvious; a man like Riddle would not settle for control of only one country. He was the type of person who would never be happy unless he was working to become more powerful. I'm sure his goals stretched far past my death and the control of Hogwarts . . ." He looked at Ginny carefully for a moment. "I guess it just hit me really hard today. The battle . . . the battle for good, is nowhere near over. It's like Voldemort planted the seeds of a weed all over the world and the plant has been growing connecting itself to the earth irreversibly and now that weed is threatening to take over."

Ginny reached her hand up and smoothed the worry creases in Harry's face.

"My Dad used to always tell me this quote, I think he got it from some Muggle book. The summer after the chamber and again after Cedric was killed, I felt like evil was pressing in on all sides, impossible to avoid or destroy. He used to tell me that all it would take for evil to win is for the good to do nothing."

Harry smiled at her. It was the exact right thing for her to say. Of course she was right. The evil in the world might never be conquerable, but they could constantly fight it and win. They could keep it at bay and even push it further out to the sea.

"You know when you asked me early if working for the Ministry was what I wanted to do?"

"Yeah," she responded tucking her head under his chin.

"I think I do, well, become an Auror at least," Harry said as if surprised at his words. Ginny chuckled softly.

"I'm not surprised. I just wanted to make sure you had a chance to choose a path. You should see yourself in action. You have a talent, an eye for defense and a knack for understanding how dark wizards think . . . As much as I admire you for taking on impossible tasks, you have to remember you are only one man. I will always support you and your need to do as much as you can to help, but do not take it as your burden alone to rid the world of all evil. It will crush you."

Harry nodded.

"Promise."

"You have my word," Harry responded. She kissed him enjoying the way the water moved against their bodies.

"It's cold; let's go dry off."

****

The four of them grabbed the rusty soup can and apparated back to the Chinese Ministry, this time they landed wands at the ready and immediately checked their surroundings. They relaxed at the site of an empty room with just Aiguo.

"All is set; only two Aurors in Australia know of the time and location of your arrival, so hopefully there will be no surprises there. It was an honor to meet you all. I'm sure we'll meet again."

After shaking hands, the four grabbed the Portkey and left China behind.


	12. Reunion and Remembrance

Part XII- Reunion and Remembrance

Upon arrival in Australia, they made a few things their priority. Sunglasses for Harry and Ron, and hats for the four of them were the first things they purchased on their would-be vacation. Then, Ron got a good laugh as Hermione and Ginny attacked Harry's hair with a sink full of water and some hair gel. With the slicked back hair, complete with spiky bangs that concealed his scar and sunglasses topping off Harry's jeans and t-shirt, he looked ready to jump on Sirius's old motorcycle. Hermione smoothed her massive curls back into a slick bun and transfigured Harry's sunglasses so they matched his prescription, and their disguises were complete.

They were halfway to their destination, sitting at a little café for lunch. The anonymity seemed to lighten the air around them relieving the tension that all the drama at the Chinese ministry had created. Ginny still giggled a little when she looked at Harry's disguise. The first few times she did this it made Harry self-conscious, and he responded by nervously patting his strangely textured hair. But he finally clued in when they got on the bus. Ginny seemed to have a bit of a problem keeping her hands to herself. Now, as Ginny sent Harry sidelong glances, he just smirked at her. A look she knew he had not given to anyone else before. This look was confident, and dare she say it, sexy.

"The bus leaves in an hour, and we will arrive about three hours after that in Kregsburg. Now I can't promise you guys they'll be there. That's just where I first suggested they go—" Hermione's knee was shaking under the table, going ninety miles an hour. Ron slid his hand onto her leg stilling it.

"We know," Ron stressed, catching Hermione's gaze.

"Really, Hermione. We know this may take some clue finding. But it's a hell of a lot better than the last little treasure hunt we went on. At least your parents won't make us crazy or irritable or . . . try to strangle us." Hermione gave a genuine laugh and exhaled the tense breath she had been holding. Ginny just shook her head; only Harry could use the Horcrux hunt in such passing humor.

"And plus, this time there's much better food." Ron said to Hermione's rolling eyes.

"Not to put a damper on things, but shouldn't we owl home to explain what happened. What if that hits the press too?" Ginny asked.

Harry sighed. "Yeah, probably. This whole . . . thing is so . . .annoying."

"The whole getting attacked every time we turn around thing?" Ron asked.

"The everyone's got their nose in you and Ginny's relationship thing?" Hermione asked.

"The whole celebrity thing," Ginny finished without question.

"Yeah. I mean, they're right aren't they? We did stop Voldemort, didn't we? I don't want the attention or awards or anything, but I do think we're entitled to one request, just one. I'd request they all just forgot about it."

Ron and Hermione laughed.

"Forget about it? You might as well face it. That's never going to happen."

Ginny regarded him seriously. Would he ever adjust to his celebrity status, or would it always detract from his happiness? It would never go away. Ron was right about that much.

"Maybe . . .maybe we should deal with it, instead of trying to avoid it or stop it," Ginny said turning to evaluate Harry's response.

"What do you mean?"

"Like a press conference, or an interview or two. Maybe if we give people a little info, they'll stop dumpster diving and hounding so much. Then we could have some control over what is being said and how much we share. I mean, have you thought about those pictures Skeeter took at the Creeveys? You know she's going to do something with them."

It was hard to read him through his darkened glasses, but she could see he was thinking about it. "Harry," she continued. "People will always want to know more about you. I think that much we can't change. Plus you've always been a proponent of a free honest press. All you've ever wanted was for the Prophet to print truths and share the information people need. Maybe if the truth is available they won't resort to lies to sell papers."

"She has a point, Harry," Hermione said gently.

"We should talk with Kingsley. But I think a press conference and an interview with the Quibbler. We can tell the press what types of questions you'll answer and what types you won't."

Harry leaned in and gave her kiss, she had obviously been thinking about this a lot, but it ended as soon as it started, thanks to Ron's "mysister" cough.

"I think you're right. But let's just say this, I'm not looking forward to the idea."

"Okay that's a solution to one problem. Now about that letter in which we explain to my parents that their youngest will not be giving them their oldest grandchild . . ."

****

"Boys it's almost our turn. Why don't you go wait over there?" Ginny said gesturing vaguely to the seats at the other side of the waiting area in Kregsburg's Secretary of State office.

"What? Why?" He was hesitant to let them get separated even though they were in a clearly Muggle office.

"Because the boy behind the counter has been giving Hermione and me 'the eye'. We might be more persuasive without you. You can still see us from over there. It'll be fine." She smiled sweetly at him and then flounced away grabbing Hermione's elbow.

"Okay. So, you are the damsel, the boy behind the counter . . . your knight in shining armor. Bat those eyelashes and follow my lead." Harry narrowed his eyes as Ginny added a bit more swagger to her step.

The boy swallowed as the two girls he'd been watching sauntered over to him where he was working at the help desk. He had been watching them ever since they stepped into the crowded office and grabbed a number. He'd taken this summer job to avoid waiting tables again. He mostly just shuffled papers and entered information into the computers. The two beautiful girls before him were the only interesting thing that had happened here since he had started this job. They had entered with two boys, but the two redheads were obviously related, perhaps the other two were as well. He could only hope.

"Hi," Ginny said with a big smile as she gave her hair a little toss. "We're in need of some help," she said leaning into the counter.

"Well then you've come to the right place."

"My friend here had some major conflicts with her parents last year and ran away." Hermione caught on immediately.

"It was so silly. They didn't like my boyfriend . . . well my ex-boyfriend now," she said looking up at him from under her lashes. "They were right. He was no good."

"And you see she and her parents cut off all ties. And now all she wants to do is find them and make amends."

"And. . . well they are English. So they must have a work visa, and I bet the information is right in there,"she said pointing to his computer.

"Oh. I'm really not supposed to give that information out," he said, clearly unhappy at his inability to help them. "You have to fill out an official request."

"Oh." Hermione said her eyes as round as saucers as she lay on the damsel card.

"See, the thing is," Ginny continued deliberately biting her lip and letting it slide slowly out. "This ex-boyfriend of hers, he's horrible. He stole everything she has. We spent all the money we had just to get here. I don't know what we're going to do for money now. . " Ginny let that hang in the air, certain she had this boy's imagination running.

"Couldn't you make an exception?" Hermione asked.

"You have all the information we need to change our lives around. All it would take," she looked down at the counter and began to accentuate her words by walking her fingers toward his hand where it lay on the mouse of the computer, "is a couple, little clicks," she finished looking up at him, as her fingers traced over his hand.

Harry's hands clenched as he reached his head side-to-side trying to relieve the tension in his neck while trying to keep his causal posture. The boy quickly moved his fingers over the keyboard and then wrote something down on a piece of paper, which he quickly handed to Hermione. She let her fingers graze his and linger as she took the paper and thanked him profusely.

Ron turned to Harry. "Our girls are dangerous."

"Are you just figuring this out?" Harry asked him with a wry look.

"Success!" Ginny said she bounced over to him. The four quickly left the building and were back on the streets of Kregsburg.

"You're a little too good at that." Harry said into her ear.

"Jealous?" she asked with laughter in her eyes.

"Of course!" He replied, but he smiled back at her.

"So?" Ron asked. "Did you get something?"

"The address of the dental office where my Dad is working," Hermione said, her face exuberant.

Ron wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple. "Excellent. Time for a stake out."

"Uh, Hermione? Did you ever learn to drive?" Harry asked.

* * **

Hermione was apparently a skilled driver, of which Ron was quite jealous. They rented the car and got directions, and were stationed outside the dental office in less than an hour.

After several hours, the four had fallen into a comfortable silence. Hermione sighed, "You know, my father insisted I learn to drive. They've always seen our world as like, I don't know, a couple shops, a school and some funny games. They don't really see the culture. I don't think they understand how complex it all is, with our own Ministry, and our own criminals, and our own customs. I think they've always thought I would be a part of the Muggle world after school. Like going to Hogwarts was like any other boarding school and afterwards I'd come back and get a job. Part of that is my fault. I never really shared all of it with them. I mean, why would I want to scare them, or risk them taking me away and forcing me to stay at home?" Ron reached over from the passenger seat and squeezed her hand.

"When I got back from my first year, was I supposed to tell them that a two headed man tried to kill me and my friends? Or should I have explained how I went back in time to save an ex-convict? And what about Voldemort? Was I supposed to tell them that he was back? How do you even tell your parents that what the darkest wizard ever known wanted above all else ,was to kill one of my best friends and that he would stop at nothing to do it? I never even explained that there are dark wizards. They probably don't even know that wands can be used as weapons."

"Hermione, it'll be okay. We stick to the plan. Remove the obstruction in their memory and then we'll explain everything. It will be a lot easier to tell them now that it's all over." Hermione sighed and squeezed Ron's hand in appreciation.

"I'm sorry," she said meeting Harry and Ginny's gaze in the rear view mirror. "I'm just nervous."

"There is nothing to be sorry about," Harry started. "If anything ,it should be me who's apologizing I'm the one who put you--" Hermione and Ginny recognized that look, that self-deprecating, martyred, expression.

"Stop!" They said together with a calm authority.

"But—" Ginny cut him off with a kiss.

"Nope. None of that," she said, and he relented.

"Hermione, look." Sure enough there was her father getting into his car. Her eyes welled with tears that she quickly blinked away as she put the car into drive and cautiously followed him.

****

Hermione took a deep breath. Her hand hesitated on its way to knock on the door before her. She felt Ron's hand at the small of her back and Harry's reached to give her hand a squeeze, her support system. The three of them had been through so much; this was just one more challenge; at least they were prepared this time.

"You've got this, Hermione," Ginny said, her voice infused with encouraging confidence. Hermione finally rapped on the door. After a few moments, it opened to reveal her mother. Emotion clogged her throat as she tried desperately to speak. Her eyes welled.

Hello, Ma'm," Ron covered for her. "We are here to speak with you and your husband about something very important." She turned and called for her husband. He appeared momentarily.

"What's going on, Hun? Can I help you?" He asked confusedly turning to the four teens in his doorway.

"Yes." Hermione seemed to have finally found her voice. She pulled out a photo album and handed it to them. "You know me. I'm here to help you remember," she said as they flipped through the most recent photos of them as a family. They made several quick glances from the pictures to the girl before them. Her mom reached her hand toward Hermione's face. Gently she ran her fingers over Hermione's curls.

"I know you . . . How do I know you?" Hermione had tears streaming down her face now.

"Why don't we all go in and we can explain everything?" Harry interjected uncomfortable with their exposed situation.

There was a tense moment when Hermione asked them to close their eyes. They agreed begrudgingly and Hermione made quick work with the removal of the memory charm. Several hours, and lots of tears later, they were all quiet, having just retold the bare minimum of the last two years, there was a tense atmosphere around them.

"I'm so sorry," Hermione said for the millionth time. "I really just didn't know how to tell you what was going on. Any information you had would have put you in danger."

"I know this is really hard for you to hear. But you should know, we couldn't have done any of it without Hermione. She was invaluable in defeating one of the darkest wizards ever known. I know it's hard right now, but you should be proud of her," Harry said staring intently at Hermione's parents.

"We understand, sweetie. We do. It's just hard to hear that you didn't trust us with any of this. And even harder to believe that you were in such grave danger you felt the need to erase our memory of you—"

"I'm sor—" Hermione's mom cut her off with a fierce hug.

"Stop, honey. You were put in an impossible situation and you did what you thought was best. Did you think we'd be mad as the result?" she asked. When Hermione gave her a tearful nod. Her mum gave a sad laugh and pulled her into a hug. "Oh, honey, of course not."

Over the head of the Grangers' three way hug, Harry and Ron shared a look of relief. Both were thankful that their Hermione was able to reunite with her family. Ginny grinned at them both, she had long since reconciled with her jealously of their closeness.

"Girls, what do you say we go to the kitchen and get some dinner together?" Mrs. Granger said standing up. The girls got up and followed her out of the room. Ginny had a slight smirk on her face as Harry saw her cast a glance at Ron. He sent her a questioning look to which she not so innocently shrugged her shoulders and grinned wider leaving the room.

The girls were chopping vegetables in the kitchen when Mrs. Granger turned on them. "So, Hermione, which one?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Which boy?" Hermione looked slightly taken aback. Ginny just laughed.

"Um, well it's Ron." Hermione said blushing thoroughly.

"How long?" Her mom asked.

"Technically? Only about a month."

"And you were on the run with this boy. Sharing a tent every night!?"

"Well Harry was there too, and Ron sort of was worried I may have had feelings for Harry."

Ginny laughed harder at this. "It's all kind of funny in retrospect," she explained to Mrs. Granger. "Everyone knew. I mean everyone, even Harry, who isn't the most observant, figured it out before they did."

"Thank-you," Hermione said half exasperated, half amused. "I guess she's right, though. Our relationship has sort of been a long time coming."

"Well he certainly is adorable. Though is makes me question the number of times I let you stay at his house."

Ginny laughed again. "No worries there, my parents are pretty strict and our brothers would never let him get away with much."

****

The boys were setting the dining room table with the help of Mr. Granger.

"So," He said to them abruptly. "Which one of you is after my baby girl?" Harry and Ron both froze, though Ron was the one who dropped the fork he was holding.

Harry laughed. "Well, it's not me," he said. Ron gave him a look of the utmost betrayal and Harry laughed louder.

"I guess I should be relieved. For awhile I was worried she was interested in one of your older brothers." Ron's face turned redder, half embarrassed, half angry, at the possibility Mr. Granger had considered.

"I only mean the best for your daughter," he said sincerely. "She and I . . . we are no passing thing." Mr. Granger and Harry both raised their eyebrows in surprise at Ron's voluntary declaration. "I . . .I . . .I have had feelings for her for a long time, sir." Harry suddenly felt uncomfortable, like he should be nowhere near this conversation.

"And you?" Mr. Granger suddenly turning on Harry.

"Me? Hermione are just friends. We've always been just friends," he said quickly.

"Have you ever wanted to be more than friends with her?"

"Uh, no sir. Hermione and I are close, but, neither of us have ever wanted more."

At that moment, the girls walked in, their arms heavily laden by the food they carried.

"Dad, are you interrogating them?"

"Maybe a little."

"And what did you learn dear?" Mrs. Granger asked her husband.

"What I feared is not true." He responded.

"He was worried Hermione was after one of your older brothers." Harry said to fill them in.

"No," Mr. Granger said humor in his voice. "Well yes, that was a concern, but I was much more worried that the three of you had some sort of . . . modern thing going on . . ." Several beats of ringing silence greeted him in response. "Well the stories Hermione told about you two, and after hearing about the three of you alone, for months well . . ."

Ginny was in hysterics. Hermione was beet red in embarrassment. The boys' eyes met and then quickly turned away.

"No. Uh nothing like that. . ever," Ron finally managed.

They spent the next day catching up with Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Hermione's parents were more than excited to be able to be a part of their daughter's life in way more than they'd ever been. They discussed the Grangers' options. Mr. Granger wanted to leave proper notice at his work and tie up loose ends before heading back to England. They had accepted the whole situation with such an open mind, immediately identifying with their old life and eager to get back to it. Mrs. Granger had explained it to them.

"Ever since we moved here, we've felt something was missing. We were content, but not happy. There was always this nagging feeling that I was missing something important."

The Grangers found Hermione's friends entertaining. The half joking anger Ron displayed every time Harry and Ginny touched in anyway. The way Ginny relentlessly teased Harry about his heroic deeds and his awkwardness around Hermione and Ron in the very beginning. They were all having a go at Harry and his celebrity savior status when Harry finally got them back.

"Did Hermione and Ron tell you about their first kiss?" Harry asked the Grangers abruptly.

"No, they didn't." Mrs. Granger said smiling. "Do tell."

"Ah, don't mate."

"Well everything was falling apart around us. We were running around like crazy trying to get everything ready before the Death Eaters started attacking everyone. And Ron makes some comment about how we should save the house elves. I'm sure you've heard Hermione ranting about them. And She just launches herself at him. She's lucky Ron has had Keeper training because they would have both toppled to the floor if he hadn't caught her."

They were all in hysterics. Hermione was vibrant red and buried her face in Ron's shoulder.

"And I'm just standing there going, seriously!? I've been expecting this for like three years and _now_ they're going to do something about it?"

"Well, Harry," Ginny said. "Some people want to be closer to loved ones when their life is in danger, instead of pushing them away." She nudged him teasingly. Harry didn't think they'd ever get to a point where their time apart would be something they could joke about. He wrapped his arm around her pulling her tight to him and placed a kiss on her temple.

Mrs. Granger sighed. It was so strange to see two couples so young, so in love. The unique trials they had gone through together had obviously forged very strong bonds. She felt immensely comforted to know Hermione had these people in her life. They seemed fiercely loyal and were still able to joke with each other after all they had been through. She reached for Mr. Granger's hand and gave it a squeeze. Their baby girl was all grown up.


	13. Almost Normal

Part XIII- Almost Normal

Regrettably, they had to say good-bye to the Grangers the next day, knowing they'd see them again in a month or so. It was back to their real world, where trials against dark wizards, and meetings about the mysterious attacks against them were soon to take place. Hermione seemed heartened by the visit with her parents. It went more smoothly than she'd had ever hoped. They took a bus back to the Australian Ministry, but were told the portkey back wouldn't be possible until the next day because the Chinese Ministry wanted to portkey them into a more secure location, as did the English Ministry.

"No complaints here," Ron said not so eager to end their little vacation as they checked into a hotel room in the Muggle part of the city. Harry thought they might blend in better there. They didn't want to alert anyone of their upcoming departure. The girls were freshening up in the room adjoined to theirs when Harry pulled Ron aside.

Hey, umm, I was thinking, maybe we could, you know . . . do something fun for the girls tonight."

"Hmm, what?"

"Well you do realize neither of us have ever actually taken our girlfriends out on a proper date before, don't you?"

"We've taken them places," Ron said defensively.

"Ron, funerals don't count, and neither does your bedroom," Harry said dryly. "Surely that book, the one you gave me last summer, says that."

"I see your point. Got any ideas?"

"Well the concierge mentioned a few places . . ." Harry quickly gave Ron the run down. Satisfied with their plan they hurried to get ready.

"Hey, Hermione, Ginny? How would you fancy going someplace fun tonight?" Harry asked through the door. Hermione and Ginny exchanged surprised looks.

"Ok, sounds good," Ginny answered, recovering first.

Hermione turned and whispered to Ginny, "Are we actually going out with our boys? Like a date, for real?"

Ginny just laughed. It appeared so. "About time they brought us somewhere that doesn't require a fight to the death or hiding from my mum."

*****

Ron let Harry handle everything because he still didn't quite get that Muggle fellytone. But then Ron had an inspired idea and conjured lavenders for Hermione. Harry gave him a questioning look.

"What?" Ron said defensively. "Might as well go all out." Harry laughed and then followed in suite, conjuring a single rose for Ginny.

The girls came in a little while later. Harry smiled. He may not have noticed the color of her dress, or the extra effort she put into the slight curl in her hair, but he certainly noticed the effect. It was like suddenly she was too visually stunning for him to take in all of it. She came up to him and gave him a quick kiss as he handed her the rose.

"What's prompted this?" She asked.

"Well I sort of realized that maybe I take you for granted. I mean you could have anyone you wanted, just look at that boy at the Secretary of State's!"

"I knew you were jealous."

"I never denied it." She kissed him again then this time prolonged. "I'm sorry our first real date will include your brother as a chaperone."

They both turned to their 'chaperone' to see him lost in a moment with Hermione. Harry pulled Ginny closer and whispered in her ear. "My perfect idea of a chaperone . . .one too distracted to notice what's going on." Ginny shivered as Harry mouth traveled from her ear down to the junction of her neck and shoulder. He molded himself more firmly to her back and worked his way back up to her ear. "Maybe we can find a way to ditch them later?" Ginny turned and swatted him lightly.

"Yeah, that's sounds great until they call fifty Aurors to come and find us. I can just read the headlines, 'Potter's Snogfest Mobilizes Entire Australian Auror Department.'"

****

A short while later the four were seated at a nice restaurant in a comfy booth. The restaurant seemed to glow with the orange tinted light bulbs and candles. Harry sighed and leaned back as they waited for their food to arrive. Hermione and Ron were arguing again, something about the difference between Muggle and magic restaurants. Their arguing in recent weeks had become so laced with innuendo and foreplay that Harry had learned to just tune them out, much in the way Ron had learned to turn a partially blind eye to Harry and Ginny. It was such a strange thing to at once feel so much the same as all the other patrons, young, happy and out for a simple evening of fun, and yet, feel so different. But no matter, at that moment Harry was content, happy to shut away all of the more pesky realities of his life and soak in the best parts, his two best mates and, of course, Ginny.

"What are you thinking about?" Ginny asked Harry softly.

He smiled and ducked his head to peer into her eyes. "You." She rolled her eyes at him. "No, really. I was just thinking how nice it is to be normal for a change. You know, just be around the people I love."

"Yeah, it's definitely nice . . . You don't have to worry, you know. We have our whole lives to be together. There is plenty of time for things to settle down. There will be plenty of quiet, normal moments. I'm sure our lives will become perfectly boring."

"Uh-huh, sure they will." Harry's facetious response was ruined by his smile. "The picture you paint," he said suddenly serious, "of our future, growing old and bored together. The idea of us having a family together, one like yours, I mean, a real family," he struggled for words as his eyebrows drew together in concentration. "It appeals to me more than you know. It's _all_ I want." He was so sincere, so earnest, that she lost herself in him for a moment. Their hushed conversation had already brought their faces only a breath apart. Harry lowered his head the remaining distance touching his cheek to hers.

"Fettuccine Alfredo?" The waitress said arms laden with the table's order. Harry and Ginny pulled back quickly. Blinking, they tried to pull themselves back to the present. "Fettuccine Alfredo?" The waitress repeated to which Harry started.

"Oh, uh, yeah sorry, that's mine." The waitress bit her lip to suppress her mirth, this kid was obviously head over heels. Harry shared a sheepish grin with Ginny before digging in.

****

"Come on, Ginny," Hermione stated after she announced she was off to the loo.

"What?" She responded resisting Hermione's tug on her arm.

"Come with me." Hermione insisted pulling a reluctant Ginny with her.

Harry looked to Ron confusedly. Ron just shrugged. "Some things we just don't question Harry."

"So?" Ginny asked turning to face Hermione by the sink. "Having a good time?"

"Excellent. You?"

"Same. Harry seems more contemplative than usual. He takes our relationship very seriously and I really appreciate it. It shows me that I haven't been plain crazy all this time."

"Yeah, Ron too. He's surprisingly serious about trying to be a good boyfriend. I think he still feels he needs to make up in the gentlemen category for sixth year, now that the war is actually over."

"Well, after Lav-Lav maybe he does owe you." Hermione just laughed.

"That feels like a lifetime ago. But that's sort of what I'm getting at. I think we could probably convince them of anything if we work together." She sounded excited and Ginny was reminded how there was more rebel than bookworm in Hermione, even if few ever realized it.

"What do you have in mind?"

****

Not long after, the two couples, walking hand-in-hand, breezed down the Australian road.

"So where to, my lady?" Ron asked.

"Well . . . " Hermione said leadingly. "We were thinking, about Club Moste."

"Huh? Dancing?" Ron asked incredulously turning to Hermione.

"Yeah, could be fun," Ginny added. Harry turned to her with pleading eyes to which she just giggled. "What? If you don't want to dance I'm sure Hermione and I can figure something else out." She started laughing in earnest when she felt more than heard a growl rumbling deep in Harry's chest.

"Come on. It'd be the perfect end to the perfect evening," Hermione completed, turning the full power of her big brown eyes on Ron.

Of course Harry and Ron never stood a chance.

****

After ordering some drinks, the four were tucked in tall stools surrounding one small, round table. Laughing and joking about the Muggle light displays and what most wizards would say to this display of electronics. Suddenly, the beat changed in the music that was thumping so loud that their glasses rattled against the table in time with the bass. Hermione unexpectedly stood up.

"This a great song." Ron looked at her incredulously, the sensual beat, not to mention the lyrics, didn't exactly scream 'Hermione'. Then again, when had they ever talked about her musical taste? "Come on, I want to dance," she said giving Ron a light tug.

"What!?" Ron looked around incredulously at the other dancers, surely Hermione wasn't expecting him to . . . he began shaking his head at her, to which she pouted.

"Really, you're not going to dance with me? Fine, come on, Ginny."

Ginny turned to Harry who already looked incredibly apprehensive. "This should be good. Hermione can _dance_. Ron is going to thoroughly regret this." She giggled and gave him a peck. "Don't wait too long to wise up and join me."

With that she slid off her chair and grabbed Hermione's hand pulling her to the dance floor. She whispered into her ear and Hermione threw her head back with laughter. It was times like these that Harry realized how hard it was for him to remember how close Ginny and Hermione really were. He felt grateful that the two had each other to confide what Harry was certain he wasn't able to handle, and of course, that they had each other for moments like this.

They didn't wander too far off, just to the edge of the crowded dance floor, still in eye shot, to which Harry was grateful for, for two reasons. Firstly, he felt grateful that they understood separating in a crowded area meant a security risk and then they started dancing and Harry found a whole new reason to be grateful. They both started swaying to the music, hips moving perfectly in sync with the thumping bass. Ginny was right Hermione could dance. Harry hastened a glance toward Ron, whose jaw dropped with incredulousness, before letting his eyes lock where they so desperately craved. Ginny was smiling carefree as she whipped her hair back and forth. Harry swallowed hard as she moved her hips subtly following the gently persuasion of the singer's sensual lyrics. Hermione shifted closer to her whispering something and then they both turned to the boys, taking in all the emotions that shock had prevented them from concealing. Ginny winked and then beckoned Harry to her with one finger. Harry automatically got to his feet.

"Hey!" Ron yelled over the music. "I thought you'd have my back!"

"Sorry, mate," Harry said not even turning his head as he continued toward Ginny. When he reached her, he slid his arms around her waist and whispered into her ear. "You are so dangerous."

"Go on, Hermione, convince him for real. He's barely resisting as it is." Hermione just grinned and sauntered back to their table.

Ginny turned and tugged Harry a little deeper into the dance crowd and slid her arms around his neck; he hastened to place his arms on her waist. Suddenly, he regretted his rash choice to join her. He had no idea what to do, but Ginny just melted into him. "Just relax," she said as she began to lead his hips with her own. Harry caught on quickly finding this new activity more than a little enjoyable. His hands slid more firmly around to the small of her back to keep her close to him.

"You're quite good at this."

"Practice."

"Practice?" Harry asked, but a dark note entered his voice. With which bloke had she practiced this? Then Ginny arched back, placing her weight in Harry's capable hands. She circled her torso around before curling back up to him being sure to create friction with every part of his upper body and ending with her face only a breath from Harry's. Harry struggled to breath, as he looked straight into her playful expression. She knew _exactly_ the effect she was having on him.

Then she laughed, "I saw _that_ in a Muggle movie once with Hermione. That's who I've had all the practice with. Hermione and I used to blast the wireless in our dorms, or in my room at the Burrow, and just dance until we forgot everything around us. It became a ritual whenever things felt too dark, too heavy, to overcome or when either of the two boys we fancied were being particularly daft, we danced. We danced until we were exhausted, until our muscles protested and we collapsed on our beds." She shrugged, "It seemed to keep the nightmares at bay."

Harry descended on her, capturing her mouth with his and kissed her with sudden ferocity. There was something about being surrounded by a crowd, but still having completely anonymity, that allowed them to enjoy a bit of public snogging.

****

Ron couldn't decide if he was more wary or more excited as Hermione slowly came back toward him. She had the look in her eye, the don't-mess-with-me-Ronald-Weasley look, the one that usually had him complying to her every whim. He sat motionless on the tall chair as she approached him. She placed one hand on the chair on either side of his legs. Leaning forward, she stooped to whisper in his ear.

"Ah, come on Ron. Please. Please, I'll show you how."

Ron let her drag him to his feet. After all, what man could resist that? Hermione rewarded his choice by kissing him intensely the moment they reached the dance floor. Her hands went to his hips and his were buried in her hair. She kept the kissing going as she gently led Ron to sway in time with her. Ron suddenly ripped his lips from hers as she inched the last breath closer creating the most exquisite of pressure. Why had he at first objected to this? Hermione smiled at his obvious pleasure at this new pastime. She moved one arm to his shoulders allowing the other to roam through his hair, over his chest, up and down his back. She didn't object when Ron's hand slipped lower. The room was filled with otherwise occupied people, so she let go of decorum and just let herself experience what she wanted.

"I have to say, I'm a little surprised Hermione."

"Why's that?"

"I had no idea you could dance . . .like this . . .you know, not at all like that damned Yule Ball."

"Oh yeah, so being a book geek means I don't know how to shake my—" Ron kissed her effectively cutting off her tirade.

"No, it's not that. It just that you're just full of surprises still, after all this time. How I am ever going to figure you out, Hermione Granger?"

She smiled at him then; silly boy. "That's part of the fun, right? There is still so much more to learn and experience together." She bit her lip tentatively pondering whether or not to share what she was thinking. She leaned in closer, as if that was necessary, to whisper directly in his ear, so he could hear over the pounding music. "You know, my curiosity, my interest in learning, and trying new things applies in many more places than just the world of academia." She leaned back to look into his eyes, to see if he caught her innuendo. After a moment's pause, Ron's expression shifted with comprehension as he began to blink rapidly.

He looked straight at her as said frankly. "You are the perfect woman." She couldn't help but feel touched by his words and then laugh hysterically at his bewildered expression.

****

Ginny and Harry were dancing all out now. Jumping up and down and head banging became an excellent excuse for a moment to collect themselves before they surpassed even the raunchiest of the couples on the dance floor. Plus, Harry really enjoyed watching her with such a look of elation and freedom on her face, but it appeared he wasn't the only one who was enjoying watching her.

Harry's eyes narrowed at the group of boys who appeared to be sizing up every girl in the room, one by one, and now seemed to have settled on Ginny. He didn't need to be able to hear them to understand the meaning of their exaggerated exchanged glances and gestures. He grabbed Ginny's hand instinctively and spun her to him. He kissed her fiercely to show she was simply unavailable. Suddenly he was torn between two desires, turn away and put his body between and the vile men, or keep the vile men in his sight. Ginny, seemingly unaware of the increased lewdness of the group, took the choice from him as she turned so that her back was to his front. She placed his hands on her hips leaving her hands there, as she began to press against him. Harry momentarily forgot the group of potential enemies as he let out an involuntary groan.

Ginny seemed to have a sixth sense, evidenced by how she knew exactly how to push him toward his point of endurance. She turned her head and pulled his down to hers in a sideways kiss. She smiled at him with a mischievous glint and then turned her head to the lewd boys and gave a saucy wave before turning back to Harry and pulling him with her back to Hermione and Ron. Was that a show to put those rude guys in their place? Before he felt she was hyperaware of the havoc she was wreaking on his system, but now . . . perhaps she had no idea.

"Oh Merlin," Ginny said turning away from the intertwined couple before her and pushing Harry backwards. But unfortunately she had had the right idea. They had drawn too much attention to themselves. It was time to go. So Harry took a few regrettable steps toward his best mates and tapped Ron purposefully on the shoulder.

*****

A couple hours later, the four were fast asleep. They had stopped by a late night pastry shop on the way home and stayed up late talking, laughing and enjoying the end of their carefree time together. Content, and hoping beyond hope that life held many more of moments like these, they began drifting off one by one, too tired from their eventful day for the boys to even find their way to the empty beds on their side of their adjoined rooms.

Harry fell asleep on the couch comically, repeatedly falling onto Ron's shoulder as the girls lying on their beds stifled their laughter with pillows. Shortly after, Ginny fell asleep, still dressed and on top of her covers. After this, Ron shoved Harry off of him and took the one step and one fall necessary to land on Hermione's bed.

*****

Hours later, it was the same light that caused both Hermione and Ron to wake-up, albeit from different sources. Ron looked over as he stirred awake for the cause of the red and yellow lights that displayed vibrantly even on his closed eyelids. Suddenly he was wide-awake. Harry's arms were lighting up like a Christmas Tree at Hogwarts. He was also shaking violently. Was this another nightmare? He felt Hermione sit up beside him.

"Ron! It's Ginny!" Ron whipped his head to the other side of their bed to where Ginny lay sleeping in much the same predicament as Harry.

"What's happening to them?" Ron sounded panicked and got up and walked toward Harry. He approached cautiously, unsure of the effect the light display would have on him if he attempted to touch Harry.

"Do you think they're in pain? Should we do something?" Hermione asked, worry seeping into every syllable.

Ron continued inching closer, peering into Harry's face, trying to discern whether or not he was in pain, which is why he suddenly gasped as Harry's eyes snapped open, filed immediately with clarity.

"Ginny." It was a demand, almost forceful with its intensity. He pushed himself up with difficulty, collapsing to his knees almost immediately. His hands hit the carpet leaving dark handprint shaped burns that revealed the floor beneath, as he pushed himself up again. Finally he made the few steps across the floor, falling more than walking. The last fall brought him straight into Ginny's open arms. With one seamless tug, Harry pulled Ginny on top of him in a precise manner. Her head was tucked in the crook of his neck, her arms and legs were aligned precisely with his. Hermione gasped as the colored streaks began to circle around their limbs, spiraling up from their hands up to their shoulders and then down their torsos and each leg. The lights bound them together like some strange Siamese mummy.

Hermione grabbed Ron's arms from where they stood observing in shock. If it were not for the look of contentment so fixed on the strange couple's faces, they would have been much more concerned. The two stayed there in silent observation, ready to act if anything seemed to shift to a less positive route. Finally, hours after the binding colored lights had rescinded, Harry and Ginny's protectors too fell asleep.

*****

"What the hell was that last night!?" Ron yelled as soon as the four of them were all awake.

"What!? What was what?" Harry asked, suddenly fearful Ron had become privy to how Harry's hands tended to wander in his sleep.

"Calm down, Ron," came Hermione's reasonable voice. "Harry, you don't remember when you got up and moved from the coach to the bed?"

Harry paused, thinking hard. "No . . . I was barely awake for the last hour of the conversation I must have just drifted over there. Ron you can't still have a problem with me and Gin—"

"That's not it," Ron said, much calmer now. "Look," he said pointing to the hand shaped burns in the carpet.

"How did that happen?" Ginny asked.

"Harry," Ron answered ominously. Hermione hastened to explain what had transpired. Harry and Ginny just looked more and more confused as she went on.

"You really have no memory of this?" she finished. Se regarded them seriously for a minute. "I wonder how often it happens then."

"You think this may have been happening when we're sleeping, and we haven't noticed."

"How could you if it doesn't wake you? You guys should have seen it. It was like the magic was trying to break free of your bodies but had no outlet, like there was some sort of electrical short circuit."

Ron and Ginny looked, if possible, more confused then Harry explained, "Muggle thing."

"Harry . . . you were so weak, you could barely make it across the room." They all sat in contemplative silence. Harry's mind began to race.

"Well, I doubt we are going to figure it out now," Hermione said suddenly. "We need to get to the Australian Ministry. Let's pack up."

Ginny turned to run a reassuring hand through Harry's hair. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out." He kissed her in response. Somehow, when Ginny said it, he believed it.


	14. Home Again

So it's been a year since I started posting this story so I thought a little refresher might be nice for people who started reading a long time ago. . .

After the final battle, the Wizarding world wasted no time in turning to Harry for help. Harry found himself thrust into a leadership role immediately, and surprised himself at having a great deal of natural inclination to that role. Days after the final battle, at the Hogwarts memorial, masked Death Eaters attacked Harry. Harry and Ginny defended themselves with a strange bit of magic. Tiberius Ogden later revealed what was happening (Ch. 8). After Fred's funeral Harry decided to go to every service that people asked him to attend. At Collin Creevey's funeral, Harry's lack of sleep and proper nutrition for the last week caught up with him. Ginny comforted him and helped him back to The Burrow, but not before Rita Skeeter captured some juicy photos. Working with the Ministry, arranging travel to Australia and trying to figure out how Harry and Ginny's connection worked, all preceded their trip to find Hermione's parents. The four were attacked when they arrived in China. Harry and Ginny's connection allowed them to capture one of the attackers. With the help of the Chinese Ministry they discover that multiple cells of Dark Orders were fostered by Voldemort and his English followers. After recovering from the events in China, the four go on to reconnect Hermione with her parents.

Characters you may not know or remember:

Pierre Navier (OC)- Ministry Press Secretary, present immediately after the final battle, constantly annoying Harry.

Tiberius Ogden – Old friend of Dumbledore helped Harry and Ginny attempt to figure out what is happening with their magic

Mockridge Cuthbert- Ex-head of the Goblin Liaison office, newly appointed to the task of overseeing the rebuilding of Gringotts and reestablishing security there and at the Ministry.

Amanda Rickey (OC)- Magical Law Office, investigator, niece of Tiberius Ogden (she's coming up soon).

Part XIV- Home Again

The trip back was the complete antithesis to the trip to Australia, smooth, easy and completely safe. Upon arriving in the English Ministry, they were bombarded by upper level Ministry employees, from the ex-head of the Goblin Liaison Office, Mockridge Cuthbert, straight up to the Minister himself. They wanted immediate first hand accounts of what had happened in China. Cuthbert, who had been introduced to Harry after the War Memorial service at Hogwarts several weeks ago, had more to demand.

"We're so glad you are back. We really want your opinion on these plans for the rebuilding of Gringotts and the plans for increased security at the Ministry," He had interjected. He seemed to be teeming with energy as if whatever was motivating him gave him way more adrenaline then necessary. "Do you remember us talking about wanting your input? I do think it would really help, considering you've broken into both these buildings at least once and we were hoping to up the security at the Ministry before the trials start."

Harry took a step back. This man was a little forceful. His movements were jerky and frantic as he bounced around trying to achieve Harry's full attention. Harry suddenly felt apprehensive at the way the man was looking at him. He felt like he had just stepped under bright lights. The man's scrutiny of him was unnerving.

Cuthbert leaned toward him again. "Do you think you could do that?"

"Yeah, um, sure. Just a send some plans to me and we'll all look over them," he said, trying to regain his personal space. Ginny carefully schooled her inclination to laugh and roll her eyes at Harry's apprehension of the overzealous man.

"Okay. I'll be right back with them," with that Cuthbert swept away.

Ginny sighed. It seemed unlikely that they would be leaving anytime soon.

"Maybe we should head to the Burrow without you. Mum will be a little... put-off if we don't go home straight away," she said to him reluctantly after pulling him aside.

He looked at her questioningly, and seeing her complete dislike of this practical plan, he shook his head. "No, they can't just expect me to be at their every beck and call..."

"Kingsley," that authoritative tone was back and Kingsley followed him around the corner.

"I'm sorry about this," apologized Shacklebolt,"they are all just really eager to get a handle on the situation. I, for one, trust your opinion on the matter more than the report from the Chinese Ministry."

"Perhaps it would be more productive if we just scheduled a meeting. We need to go to the Burrow. You know Molly..." explained Harry.

"Yes, actually. The head investigator wants to meet with you too, about the trials. I think the media is going to be in a bit of a frenzy while all of these trials get started. And if... when what happened in China gets leaked, things are going to turn . . . sticky. . . Maybe we should just meet you at the Burrow or something?"

"That's sounds good," Ginny replied, knowing Harry would never offer the Burrow on his own.

Cuthbert came bustling back through and shoved a stack of papers in Harry's hands. "Thanks so much," he said, his eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Harry's expression. Ginny glanced at the man quizzically she wondered if he was always like this or if being near a bona fide Wizarding hero had befuddled his brain.

"Yeah, uh, no problem," Harry responded turning back to Kingsley.

They quickly arranged time and place and after the long journey via portkey decided to accept the offer of Ministry cars to escort them back to the Burrow.

* * * * *

Within no time Ron and Hermione were fast asleep. They were exhausted after yesterday's fun, followed by late night watch guarding, and then two around-the-world Portkeys.

Ginny was happily snuggled into Harry's arms wanting nothing more than to give into her drooping eyelids, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk to him.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"What are we going to tell to my Mum? About us I mean?" The hesitancy and uncertainty that filled her tone had Harry turning so he could look down into her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well the whole... pregnancy thing in the papers... it's going to bring up awkward questions."

"Well," said Harry, smoothing her hair behind her ears. "I think we should just be honest with her. I mean your brothers really shouldn't have much say in the matter... and I don't think we should invite them into it. . . but perhaps your parents. . . I don't really know how these things should go. In the end, it really comes down to how much you want to share with them. But I do think, in this case, the truth will actually probably reassure them."

"The truth, as in that we haven't... haven't had sex." She paused and Harry could tell there was more on her mind. Suddenly she blurt out the question that had been teetering on the tip of her tongue. "And how do you feel about that?" Harry shot a surreptitious glance at their driver and then cast a Muffliato spell and turned properly to look straight in to her eyes.

"Ginny," he ducked to catch her eye. "Ginny, I love you. I'm fine with waiting. I mean," he hastened to add. "Of course I want to..."

"Me too," she quickly reassured him. "But. . ."

"But we should wait until it's right...I..." Now it was his turn to glance away to hide his embarrassment. She reached out and grabbed his chin gently compelling him to look into her eyes. "I don't want our first time to be in any way shape or form related to Voldemort. Every bloody thing in my life has been about him. I don't want our first time to be out of relief, or even to celebrate that we survived. I... I want our first time to be about nothing _but_ the two of us. And I'm not sure we could have that right now."

She smiled at him and leaned in for a slow, lazy, kiss, one that was devoid of urgency, and made her feel utterly cherished.

"I really feel the same way. I... I don't want us to have to sneak around and, I agree, I want to wait until it's about us and only us." The teasing glint was back in her eye. "Plus, I think you've had enough responsibility to get on with, so let's put off that parenting thing agreed?"

He laughed. "Agreed."

* * * *

"They're here!" came the high-pitched yell from Mrs. Weasley as she rushed to open the door for them. As soon as they were in the door she enveloped them in a big hug.

"I'm so glad you're back! So glad you're safe! Come sit, sit." She quickly pushed them off into the living room where they were greeted by the Weasley clan at large.

Mrs. Weasley's demeanor changed abruptly as they sat down. After the last year, every moment apart from her children hit her much harder, she was torn horribly between joy of their return and anger at all that had passed while they were away.

"What is with you kids? Can't you go a couple of days without attracting trouble?"

"Mum, it's really not our fault..."

She cut him off abruptly. "But what is your fault is that Kingsley told me. Kingsley! He is the one who told me you were ambushed in China. I didn't get an owl from you lot until days later."

"Mum," Ginny tried to intercede.

"No! Do you know what the last few days felt like!? It felt like last year. Worrying whether you were safe, whether you'd come home, whether or not you were pregnant at sixteen Ginevra! I thought I was done worrying so much."

"We're really sorry," Harry said suddenly. "We should have owled as soon as it was over. We just..."

"We just needed some time to collect ourselves and get out of China," Ron added. Mrs. Weasley sighed momentarily placated.

"So, everything else went fine?"

Hermione quickly filled everyone in about their time in Australia, leaving out the night they went dancing.

Harry glanced around the room that seemed still tense somehow, like this was the calm before the storm. There was some sort of careful awareness in the room.

"Well at least you were successful on that front," Mr. Weasley said wearily.

"Now, tell us exactly what happened in China," Bill said looking first to Ron. Ron began filling in the details and Harry started to feel more trepidation. It was starting to sound like they may have rehearsed this conversation or at the very least discussed what order they'd demand information. Ginny turned to him with a bewildered look. She too had caught the strange atmosphere.

"Honestly, I think the Chinese Ministry was impressed at how we handled it," Ron was saying. "We weren't hurt. We got a lot more info than we had before, and we even made some new Chinese allies. So, it could almost be seen as a positive experience," he said looking hopefully to his mum.

She shot him an exasperated expression. "Ronald Weasley, you were attacked, by strange, dark wizards. Don't you dare try to downplay that, or claim it's positive to placate me."

"Okay," Mr. Weasley said with measured breath. "At least now we know all the facts. Now. .." Mr. Weasley met Harry's eyes and Harry realized this was the first time the man had looked at him since they arrived. Mr. Weasley reached down to the coffee table and overturned a magazine showing its cover to Harry. Mr. Weasley exhaled as if trying desperately to keep an even tone. "Explain this."

Harry took the magazine from him confusedly. His eyes grew more incredulous the more he absorbed what was on the page. He weakly moved it so Ginny could see the cover as well. It read _Witch Weekly_ and the front page was splashed with a picture of Harry and Ginny. It was from the Creeveys. When Ginny had found him collapsed on his knees on the floor, she had rushed over to him, and he simply reached up from his position on the floor and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. The picture was at the perfect angle to see his head cushioned against Ginny's stomach with his head turned to the side with an expression at once filled with love and pain reflecting his desperate need for her comfort at the time. Ginny was leaning over him, her fingers buried in his hair with her face also turned so the camera could snap her pained, worried expression. The only part of the photo that moved was her hands in his hair and their expressions.

Harry felt like someone had punched him deep in the gut. That was such a private moment. The weakest he had ever felt, something he had never wanted to share with anyone, save Ginny. The corner of the cover had a picture of the two of them kissing with the headline, "The Chosen One's Chosen One and Their Baby to Be."

Ginny felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. No wonder her parents were acting strangely. The picture taken out of context looked like Harry was caressing her stomach. It would be easy to assume he was hugging his unborn child.

Harry's face burned as his open, unfiltered expression shown up at him, mockingly from the magazine. Ginny gently tugged it out of his hands and filled the void with her own hand.

"It's not what it looks like," Ginny finally said with her eyes still fixed on Harry.

"Ginevra! So help me! If you are lying to me..." Mrs. Weasley started.

That seemed to finally break Harry free of his reverie. "No really. It's not at all what you're thinking. Rita Skeeter walked in on us at Collin Creevy's funeral ... I was. . .I just. . . Ginny was just helping me through some stuff." Mrs. Weasley's expression changed as she took in the photo from a different viewpoint.

"The papers aren't going to let this go," Bill edged in hesitantly.

"They'll figure it out soon enough, when I'm not twelve feet around in 8 months."

"I don't want you to have to go through all the name calling for nine months!" He turned to Harry abruptly. "That you'd even put her in this position! Do you even care that the papers are going to drag her name through the mud? She will be a... a scarlet woman to the press... and you... you'll still be the boy who could do no wrong."

Harry's anger was two-fold, first, for the insinuation that he didn't care about how this would affect Ginny, and second, for the truth behind Bill's harsh words. Ginny sat in uncharacteristic stillness refusing to give into her temper, she was no longer a child and it was about time they realized it.

"I know," Harry sighed. "We've already talked about the press and how it's a problem that can't just be ignored. I promise to do my best to set this matter straight." Harry's words were slow, calm, following Ginny's resolve to not rise to the inciting words. "But there is only so much I can do about what people write about me. What can I possibly do except for break up with her? And believe me, I tried that. It didn't suit us." His words may have been calm, but there was a certain almost frightening edge to the anger that seethed beneath the surface. His calm response and Ginny's stoic expression seemed to keep everyone else in the room silent.

"Meeting with the press sounds like a good idea, Harry," Mr. Weasley responded softly.

"It was Ginny's, I'm just going along with it."

"Well I can't let the world think I'm some sort of scarlet woman," she said in mock horror turning an annoyed glance at Bill.

Charlie, like Bill, seemed to have more on his mind. "I think we're less concerned about the press and more about how fast you two are moving! And how you, Harry, seem to feel you are entitled to..."

"When have I ever acted 'entitled'?" Harry's voice rose as his control slipped.

"When you waltzed back after defeating Voldemort and took up with our sister after ditching her, that's when!"

He knew they were just being protective, and that Bill and Charlie really didn't know him as well as the others, but it still kind of hurt that they understood so little.

"Well what do you have to say for yourself? Don't just sit there."

"I'm sorry, but this is really none of your business," Harry responded curtly.

"Like hell it's not! What is it that you think you're doing with her?"

"I, unlike you, am trying to respect her wishes to keep her nosy brothers out of her love life," the younger wizard retorted, finally rising.

"Bill, Charlie, sit down," Percy suddenly said. "Ginny will be of age in a few weeks. She is an intelligent and capable witch, and Harry is the most responsible seventeen year-old out there. Stop being gits."

Bill and Charlie gaped like fish. Percy! Percy was calling them gits. That more than anything else, gave them pause to consider whether or not they were really in the right.

Ginny turned in shock to Percy. It seemed his time apart from them had really helped him grow. Never before had he stood up to his older brothers.

"Sorry, Harry, Ginny," George interjected. "The elders are not the wisest in this, the most noble clan of Weasley," he said with the old lofty tone he used to use when mocking Percy, an old imitation that he had not done in years. He stood to give them a dramatic bow and then thrust his nose snottily into the air. Suddenly, a pillow socked him in the face. He turned his head toward Percy, whose wand was still in hand after just magically lofting the pillow at George.

"Perce! Did you just do something as childish, as undignified, as starting a pillow fight?" But George was grinning. Maybe there was hope for this sucker yet. There was a moment's pause and Percy and George's eyes met, then each had several pillows levitated in the air beside them.

"Boys," but Mrs. Weasley's admonishment was half-hearted as her eyes welled at the sight of her two most troubled sons' faces alight with glee.

Without warning, the boys grinned at each other and sent the pillows soaring at the unsuspecting Bill and Charlie, one after the other in rapid succession.

The room broke out into laughter when Bill and Charlie finally recovered from the pillow assault.

Mr. Weasley clapped his hands together to deter any retaliation. He thought his boys had learned long ago not to doubt the Weasley women, they're as fierce as they are rare.

"Okay, everyone, Kingsley seems to think this media circus is going to reach its peak when the trials get going. So I guess you four are on house arrest. It's only fair to let Molly and I have you home for awhile after the last year."

Harry sighed relieved. It would be nice to let Mrs. Weasley take care of things for awhile.

"Right," responded Ron. "We'll just have a relaxing time here, prepare to give testimony, have some meetings about rising dark orders, go over some top secret ministry security plans and maybe we'll spend some time practicing previously unheard of magic while we're at it." He finished giving Harry and Ginny a pointed look.

*****

Several hours later, Harry and Ginny were washed, fed, and out by the pond enjoying the sun. Harry sat with his head lying in her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. A comfortable silence had fallen over the pair as they absorbed the warmth from the sun.

"So we should probably talk about some stuff," Ginny said quietly as if regretting her breaking of the peaceful quiet.

"Like?"

"Like becoming a light show display while we sleep, or like why that magazine upset you so much."

Harry smiled up at her wryly. "I can't keep anything from you, woman!" He replied adopting a macho tone. Ginny rolled her eyes at his feeble joke and then suddenly her hands left his hair to attack his ribs. Harry's stomach contracted immediately as insuppressible laughter sprung from his lips.

"Okay, okay. Truce! I shouldn't have called you woman, though you are one..." as her eyes narrowed, he quickly added. "One of the most amazing and beautiful women ever to have existed," he finished with a dramatic flare.

Ginny just swatted his stomach and then resumed her earlier ministration on his scalp. His hair was surprisingly soft. She gave him a pointed look clearly not accepting his deflection of the question.

"Okay. I don't know, it just... it was such a private thing, you know? I've never felt that utterly... weak." The word tasted bitter on his tongue. "I hated that feeling. I was completely unable to help myself."

"That's okay," Ginny said feverously. "It's okay to need help."

"I know," he responded quickly. "Really, I do. I need you, maybe more than is healthy. Maybe we shouldn't be so...co-dependent. Maybe your brothers are right...But I don't want to share any of the way I was feeling right then with anyone but you. I don't want the whole world looking at that picture because I'm completely unguarded with you. There is no need to mask the darkness in me, no need to put on a brave front. But I don't want to share that part of me with everyone."

Ginny smiled sadly down at him. He kept so much buried, barely concealed if you were looking closely enough. Luckily for him, not many tried to look past their idea of the Chosen One.

"I get it... But remember, people are stupid." Harry laughed at her frankness. "It may seem to you that everything you were feeling is on display, but they all misinterpreted it."

"Right," Harry laughed suddenly. "They think that's my 'I'm-going-to-be-a-daddy' face."

"Or that's your, 'oops-now-I'm-stuck-with-this-witch' face."

"Okay, your turn," Harry said sitting up abruptly.

"What?"

"You were strangely silent during your brothers' little freak out. I feel I should warn you, bottling up a temper like yours can't be healthy," he finished smirking at her. Her jaw dropped as she prepared to retort, but he beat her to it by kissing her opened mouth.

"My oldest brothers just frustrate me so much sometimes," she said sighing heavily. "They just ...It seems sometimes they're so set on protecting me that they forget that I'm my own person. It's like they never bothered to get to know Ginny the soon to be of age witch. The only one they know is Ginny, the tag-along or Ginny the eleven-year-old, weak, misguided, girl who almost lost her life to a diary... I'm not that girl."

"No. You aren't."

"If they were really just concerned about me, then they should have approached me first. They should have tried to at least see how I am coping with everything before assuming I had been hoodwinked by Harry Potter, the master manipulator. They act as if I was some sort of innocent bystander and that you control me."

"You think they'd realize how impossible that would be..."

"Well it all comes back to that diary doesn't it? They don't think I've got better since then!" She stood up suddenly, pacing, staring out over the lake.

"Ginny," he said standing with her, "You know your brothers are just overprotective. It blinds them. Please, I don't want to be the source of any problems you have with your family. They'll calm down, and then we'll talk to them. They know you are more than capable, that you've grown up. But with this strange connection we have, and because they've never really seen us together until now, it's just got them confounded."

She sighed, and let him wrap his arms around her from behind. "How can you be so forgiving of them, so quickly?" She questioned as they both looked out over the water shimmering lightly in the setting sun. She let him rub some of the tension out of her shoulders reveling in his touch.

"Easy. I respect their intentions. They just want you happy and safe."

Neither heard the approaching of the people behind them. When Harry leaned down and started kissing Ginny's neck, someone cleared his throat, loudly. Harry whipped around toward the sound shoving Ginny firmly behind him. Their protective web snapped tightly around them faster than it ever had before.

Upon recognizing the intruders as the four eldest Weasleys they let their web dissolve as it slithered into the ground.

Harry rolled his shoulders around trying to release the tension and sudden spike of adrenaline the unannounced approach had created.

He turned looking straight at Bill and Charlie. "You blokes are really lucky our first instinct is defense and not offense."

"It's gotten stronger," Bill commented bewildered.

"We've been practicing a little," Ginny responded with a cold edge in her voice.

"Is that a good idea!?" Charlie asked suddenly.

Harry narrowed his eyes at the two of them, seriously! "Uh yeah, seeing as it has saved our life twice now. I think it's a great idea. It's not something we can ignore."

"Look, sorry. We didn't come out here to... Well I didn't mean...We came out here to apologize," Charlie said turning to glance to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who nodded in encouragement.

"Yeah, Ginny, we know you've grown up and I swear we don't think poorly on you for what happened in your first year!" Bill added.

She looked at them incredulously. "You've been eavesdropping?"

"We didn't mean to, hun," Mrs. Weasley cut in. "It just didn't seem right to interrupt you two."

"Harry... We just lost our temper. You are far nicer to us than we deserve."

"We really are sorry; we shouldn't have attacked you like that."

"It's fine," Harry said dismissively. "I mean... It rather hurt that'd you don't realize that I would never do anything to hurt Ginny, but I get it. I know how crazy it can make you when you feel like your loosing your ability to protect the people you love," he added pointedly.

"Ginny?" Charlie asked tentatively.

"Okay. Relax, just don't do anything else that merits Percy calling you prats!"

They all laughed. "Deal," Bill said.

"Yeah, seriously I'm going to be having nightmares about that for weeks," Charlie shuddered at the thought.

Mrs. Weasley turned to Bill and Charlie. "Why don't you set up a place for us all to eat dinner outside. We've outgrown the kitchen again, I'm afraid." Bill and Charlie understood that for the dismissal it was.

Mr. Weasley paused a second and then summoned the picnic table from its usual spot by his shed.

"Ginny, Bill and Charlie are incredibly misguided, but they are just trying to protect you," Mr. Weasley said gently indicating that they should all sit down. Harry and Ginny shared knowing glances already guessing what her parents wanted.

"Well, if they knew me at all, they'd know I don't need or want their protection."

"I know you feel grown, mature. And in many ways you are. In fact you're almost _too_ mature for your age," Her mother added hastily. "War will always make children grow up too soon, but in the post war haze...it's far too easy to rush into things."

"As opposed to rushing into things before a war is over?" Ginny couldn't help but add with a grin.

"Yes. Your father and I did probably get married a lot sooner because Voldemort's first rise to power had us so scared for our future. And lucky for me I got exactly what I wanted, but I want you, the both of you, to have the chance to have it all. Finish school, a career, travel, whatever it is you want before you two get saddled with more responsibility..."

"That's what we've talked about," Harry said without hesitation.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley pulled back in surprise. They had not expected them to be forthcoming in this conversation. "What?" They asked together.

"We're not really sure what next year will be like yet. This strange connection with our magic has complicated things. And frankly, I still have not really adjusted to the fact that my future actually exists."

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Weasley asked concerned.

"Well, my future was always about defeating Voldemort. I rarely looked past that. I mean I had so many near death experiences...I think a large part of me expected to die young," Harry finished quietly

"Really, Mum, Dad, we're being smart..." Ginny added.

"Ginevra," Mrs. Weasley interjected. "Even with magic, there are no guarantees. No protection is fool-proof."

"I know Mum. You explained all that long ago."

"But Harry doesn't..."

"Mum, we've decided to wait." This effectively silenced her. She blinked, Mr. Weasley sighed heavily.

"I love you like a son, Harry, really. You are already part of the family, but she _is_ my only daughter and you two _are_ only sixteen and seventeen..."

The two men's eyes met seriously. "I understand."

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Weasley said. "I know I really can't pry into your lives very much longer. You two just seem so happy together and everything has been so hard lately. I want everything to be smooth sailing for you. I just want to make sure you two have properly thought this through..."

"I know, Mum," Ginny said simply reassuring her mother that she was not angry for her involvement in her life. "But you're kidding yourself if you think you will be able to ever stop prying into your kids' lives."

In the peaceful still that fell over the pond, the four's laughter permeated all the way back to the Burrow.

*****

Harry was already halfway through one of Mrs. Weasley's amazing breakfasts when Ginny came down the stairs. Harry felt out of sorts, like he was somehow out of balance. And though it had only been one short night, when Ginny came into the room he felt like it had been a week since he'd seen her. He pushed his chair back to stand up and greet her properly, but she plopped down on his lap before he had the chance, placed a sweet kiss on his lips and then started eating his breakfast.

She giggled as the surprise slowly drifted off his face and he snuggled her in closely letting his chin rest on her shoulder.

"You know, Ginny, we do have multiple chairs in this house," but Mrs. Weasley sounded amused.

"None this comfy," she said as she continued to demolish Harry's breakfast. Mrs. Weasley smiled as she turned back to the stove, her other children would be up soon enough.

Ginny grabbed a delicious looking pastry and turned over her shoulder offering it to Harry. He bit into to it slowly keeping his playful eyes on Ginny. She just looked amused and took a bite herself before offering it back to him. Harry carefully took the pastry into his mouth letting his lips close on her finger as his tongue swirled around them. Ginny was shocked. She didn't expect him to be so forward with her mother two feet away.

"Ew! Gross! Come on, you two!" Ron groaned entering the room looking rather sleepy.

Hermione was right behind him. She leaned in and whispered something into his ear that made Ron blush vibrantly and sit down with no further comment or complaint. Ginny giggled.

"Late night, Ronald?" Ginny asked.

"Shh, don't goad him," Harry admonished thankful for Hermione's distraction. He didn't like to push this aspect of his and Ron's friendship. Mrs. Weasley turned back to them magically placing another steaming hot dish in front of them.

"Eat up, lots to do today."

"Can't we have a day off of chores?" Ron couldn't help but whine. Mrs. Weasley unexpectedly burst into laughter. She might worry about all the parts of her children that were changed by the war, it was almost a relief to hear the younger, less mature Ron burst forth.

"Not chores Ron. The Minister is coming today with a few other officials, including Mr. Navier, Mr. Cuthbert, Tiberius Ogden, and his niece, who is apparently one of the chief investigators for the trials starting tomorrow."

"Right," Hermione said turning to the boys. "So we should look at those security plans they gave us this morning."

Harry just nodded.

"Also," Mrs. Weasley seemed suddenly hesitant as she turned to Harry and Ginny, "I was talking with your Dad last night and we think maybe we should investigate the magical link between you two." Harry's juice stopped half way to his mouth as he looked warily at Mrs. Weasley.

"We were just thinking that we should try to figure out what's going on, how it works and make sure there aren't any side-effects or something."

"We know, Mrs. Weasley; we planned on doing some more investigation this week," Hermione said reassuringly.

"That's good, dears, but I think that whatever you two can do is rather powerful and perhaps it wouldn't hurt to have more people around to help?"

Harry turned to Ginny questioningly. She shrugged. "It couldn't hurt," she said.

"Yeah, thanks, Mrs. Weasley. I'm sure more people will help us to understand this and use it to keep people safe."

Mrs. Weasley smiled and then walked out of the room to make her house fit for company. She was relieved that they didn't tell her to mind her own business. They were right at the age where they could suddenly claim their independence and shut her out. She didn't think she was ready for her youngest children to be over wanting her help. Fred's death had somehow intensified all of her strongest motherly instincts. She could feel her inclination to, well to use their phrase, 'Molly-coddle' them. She was trying her best to suppress her need to treat them like they were ten years old. After everything, perhaps what they needed most was someone to take care of them and take some of the responsibility away.


	15. Harry The Great

Part XV- Harry the Great

Ginny started laughing, causing the trio to turn and look at her. "Is this how it always works?" she asked gesturing before her. Papers were strewn all over the table in the living room. Harry and Ron were sitting opposite each other both pouring over the parchments ghosting different paths and strategies with their hands. Occasionally their path would run into each other, but they rarely acknowledge each other when that happened. Hermione was slightly off to the side, almost perpetually shaking her head as one of the boys offered up a suggestion.

"What?" Harry asked not looking up from where he was tracing a trail on the diagrams before him.

"Is this how you always work? Ron thinks strategy, you come up with the most nefarious way, and Hermione just keeps shooting down anything that is unfeasible, impractical or too dangerous?"

The three stopped and looked at her a second.

"Uh yeah. I guess we do usually work this way." Ginny laughed again.

George, Percy, Bill and Charlie came waltzing in moments later.

"What's with the skull session?" George asked.

"Trying to break into the Ministry of Magic," Harry replied and then Ron suddenly stood up, ignoring his brothers' looks of confusion.

"Look!" Ron said pointing at the blueprint. "If you were to try to break through one fireplace after hours, all the security focuses there, alarms, curses, everything, but once that alarm is set, it'd be impossible to detect the magic used to force entry anywhere near it."

"So, a decoy. That's all you need. Force entry into two fireplaces. As soon as the alarms go off at one, enter through the other," Ginny continued.

"They're too concerned about having enough strength and cleverness to deny entry to someone powerful. They've left gaping holes," Hermione concluded.

"What about here?" Harry added darkly. "This will be the place of most traffic during the trials," he said tracing his fingers down the long corridor that led to the courtrooms.

"Well that's to be expected, they have to keep that open. Wizarding trials have always been public domain," Hermione answered.

"Well that's just it. It's a long narrow corridor that only leads to the Department of Mysteries, which they have very, very, securely blocked off, and to the courtrooms. There is only one entrance, so they can monitor everything, but also no other exits. It'd be the perfect place for a mass attack. It'd be impossible to fight back if someone attacked when that corridor is crowded, at least not without risking hurting an innocent bystander. But if you are the one attacking it's perfect! You could probably remain anonymous for a long time in the chaos. In fact," Harry said, standing and closing his eyes imagining himself in the corridor as the attacker. "If you just tuck yourself away in one of the alcoves, you could fire curses constantly and be virtually untouchable," he pantomimed the actions as he spoke and then slowly opened his eyes to see their opinions.

Hermione, Ron and Ginny nodded, various levels of concern and alarm on their faces; of course he was right. But the other four looked slightly taken aback, bordering on wary of Harry.

"What?" he asked them.

"You really do think like a dark wizard, Harry."

"Yeah, well it's useful. The sorting hat did want to put me in Slytherin for a reason, you know," he replied offhandedly turning back to the people who were actually contemplating what he just said.

"How do we fix it?" Hermione asked him.

"I'd say confiscate wands, to be returned in the courtroom, but there is no way in hell I'm walking anywhere in the Ministry without my wand."

"Well, the problem comes down to traffic flow, right? Once everyone's in the courtroom, there will be protection spells around all the accused, those giving testimony and all of the Wizengamot, right? No one at the trial will be able to shoot any spells much farther than the person sitting right next to them."

"Right," Harry answered.

"So let, I don't know, five, ten people at a time walk from the atrium to the courtrooms, escorted by Aurors. That way if any were to try to attack people the Aurors could easily recognize the source and take them down."

Hermione looked deep in thought for a moment. "That should work. Except that it might over crowd the atrium..."

"The Ministry already has a contingency plan for that," Percy interjected. "The amount of witches and wizards entering through each of the different entrances is monitored. They can easily increase the controls to keep the amount of people in the atrium to a manageable amount."

Harry nodded, "Good." He leaned back collapsing into the couch, one arm flung over its back. His sudden movement caused Ginny to slide deeper into the couch, snuggling her right into Harry's waiting shoulder.

"I guess we should shift to Gringotts now."

"Actually, Harry, Ministry officials will be here shortly," Bill interjected. "That's what we came in here to tell you all."

With a casual flick of her wand, Hermione reassembled and neatly stacked the papers before them. Harry let his head fall back against the couch, groaning slightly.

Ginny turned to Harry and patiently waited for him to respond to her look. Around them, Mrs. Weasley started donning out tasks. In a flurry of motion, the group dispersed until only Harry and Ginny still remained.

Ginny turned running her hand over Harry's stomach and reached up to kiss under his chin, taking full advantage of their privacy. Harry smiled and urged her willing mouth up to meet his. After awhile, Ginny smiled against his mouth.

"What?"

"Got you to forget all about everything for a few, didn't I?" Her tone was smug, but playful.

"Feel free to win this game as often as you want," he said emphatically and then sighed. "I have a feeling alone time with you is going to be hard to come by in the upcoming days... "

"What's really bothering you, Harry?"

"It's just all this Ministry stuff. I find it exhausting trying to be the person they think I am... The one with the answers, the one that will help, the one that can make everyone's lives easier."

"Harry... You are that person." Ginny certainly had a knack for saying it like it was. "You're not just that person, but, it's like my brothers said earlier, you really do understand the way dark wizards think. You really are the one that's helped everyone and you are certainly the one they can all turn to. So don't feel like your acting when you deal with them. That's a part of you. It's not the only part or even the most important, but it is you."

"Thank-you," she knew from the sincerity in his eyes that he was at least trying to take in her words. "I'm just really not looking forward to these trials."

Mrs. Weasley paused, looking over at Harry and Ginny as she passed by the sitting room on her way to the kitchen. Harry was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. Ginny snaked an arm around him and ran the other hand through his hair as she spoke in hushed tones to him. The matriarch watched in awe as the tension in Harry's back lessened and he leaned into her daughter letting her soothe him. Mrs. Weasley turned her back on the two and then grabbed Hermione and Ron to help her prepare some food for when their guests arrived.

"I'd remind you that you don't have to do this, but I know you will regardless. So instead, I'm going to remind you how long you've waited for justice to be served. The Malfoys are on trial tomorrow, Umbridge will be up soon enough. Focus on that." He gave her a grateful smile.

"I know. It's just talking about it all, again... with like ninety reporters and everyone listening..."

She kissed him softly. "How about we focus on what will happen after the trial tomorrow."

"Right. Justice."

Ginny laughed slightly. "I was thinking more a little late night..." she leaned in giving him a playful look. "Broom race." She laughed at his slightly disappointed look. "And if you win...if you win..." she leaned forward capturing his bottom lip in her mouth and running her tongue along it. All thoughts of the trial and their current location flew from Harry's head. His eyelids fluttered as he absorbed the sensation. With one arm he snagged her waist pulling her closer until she slid onto his lap, and kissed her in earnest. His hand found the smooth skin at the small of her back. She kissed her way up his jaw line until she reached his ear, she nibbled it lightly before whispering, "Why Harry, I do not believe you have won yet. You can't claim your prize until you've earned it."

In response he turned his mouth to the sensitive spot under her jaw. "Harry." His name came out through clenched teeth. "What were you saying, love?" He asked before resuming the task that flew all thoughts of their little game out of her head.

Ron cleared his throat exaggeratedly in the doorway. Harry and Ginny turned to see Mrs. Weasley's exasperated face. Well when she wanted them to act less mature and more their age, this wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Next to Mrs. Weasley stood a woman sharply dressed with a stiff posture. She was a harsh contrast next to Tiberius Ogden, the man who had explained Harry and Ginny's combined magic. Tiberius smiled genially at them and then suddenly clapped his hands together with exuberance.

"Harry, Ginny, let me introduce you to Amanda Rickey, the fastest up and coming witch in the Magical Law Office. She also happens to be my niece." At this the woman finally showed a smile. Ginny hastily slid off Harry's lap, predictably red in the face. They both went to shake hands in greeting, looking appropriately contrite.

"Thank-you for agreeing to meet with me here," Harry added quickly. "I hate to be an inconvenience, but the upcoming trials have sort of whipped everybody up into a frenzy. Kingsley requested that I stay out of sight until tomorrow while we're still researching the whole China incident." Harry looked slightly uncomfortable. He didn't want her to think that he wanted her to meet him here out of arrogance or disrespect for her time. She started to warm to him immediately. She had been curious about who the real Harry was. Was he a humble boy who just wanted a normal life, like those who knew him claimed? Or was he the arrogant lady's man the papers so desperately wanted to paint him as?

"Don't worry. It's fine, really. I have been informed about almost all the facts of the accused in question." They all turned to sit down in the Weasleys' family room. "I just want to make sure you're ready and talk about what you may not feel comfortable saying in the courtroom," she said addressing Harry specifically. This woman got straight down to business.

"The Wizengamot has been working steadily passing new legislation in order to conduct the trials in a slightly different way. They have put those from the Law Office to the task of investigating. We are to present as much information about each of the accused as possible, we will lead some of the questioning, but Wizengamot members have the right to ask a witness, accuser or accused any questions at any time. They are really trying to make the trials fairer this time around, and more effective. After the first war, the Ministry was in chaos, people went to Azkaban without a trial. Death Eaters went free because of deals that were struck."

"So you all are trying to make sure everyone is treated in proportion to their crimes," Harry concluded.

"Yes," she said emphatically, pleased he understood. "Everyone accused of dark activity, war crimes, or taking advantage of the Death Eaters' Regime, will receive a trial with the Wizengamot. All accused are allowed to bring witnesses to defend and Investigators are to research all possible sources of the truth. The investigators' goal is to seek the truth, not blindly attempt to prove the accused is guilty."

"I once knew someone who was wrongfully sent to Azkaban ..." Harry said, his gaze drifting momentarily toward the window. "So, any effort to make things better is appreciated," Harry's tone was suddenly detached, devoid of emotion. Ginny covertly slipped her hand into his and squeezed.

"I need you to understand the importance of this case. It will set the tone for the rest of the trials. Lucius was accused of being a Death Eater the last time, and he got off, but returned to his old ways at the first chance. This case will set the precedent, along with those of his wife and child. The case will hinge incredibly on your testimony. Lucius is very well connected. When he was arrested at the Ministry it was different. He was caught red handed. But he is going to claim coercion, that he was just trying to protect his family, that he was appalled by what he was being forced to do."

"So what do you need me to do then?"

"Just tell the truth. We need to establish a pattern of behavior and show that Lucius was an active and willing member, who feels no real remorse. But your job is simply to present the facts, as is mine." They continued talking well into the next hour about what needed to be shared and what information should be protected. The woman was professional and didn't once gape at him or the things he had to share, and Harry was very appreciative of that fact. She knew what she was doing; a competent Ministry employee, times were definitely a changing.

She turned to the others in the room, first to Ron and Hermione. "People who worked as Snatchers will be very hard to convict since they can claim they were acting to serve the Ministry. But none were authorized to hurt other witches and wizards in their pursuit of them. The most punishment they will receive are fines and community work. Oh... most will be required to attend some sort of sensitivity courses."

"What?" Ron asked nonplussed.

"Well actually, it was what you said, Ms. Granger, that brought this to be," Tiberius put in. "Your talk about the brainwashing at school made many in the Ministry wonder what steps could be taken to root out the evil seeds, such as the thinking that people of not pure blood could be hunted and captured." Hermione looked slightly taken aback. "So those convicted will be required to attend some courses to re-teach them about the equality of humanity. Many will then be volunteers at St. Mungo's, or at the rebuilding of Hogwarts or Diagon Alley, and some will be volunteering in the Muggle world to help correct the havoc we've wreaked on them."

The room registered an overall feeling of surprise. The Ministry had been making some serious changes. Harry's brow furrowed as he wondered how much support these changes were receiving.

"We'll just need you to identify any Snatchers you can and describe what you witnessed of their actions," Ms. Rickey said to Ron and Hermione. They nodded in response. "We've had some trouble finding people willing to testify... So thank-you for your help," She stated sincerely.

"The terror of the last year won't be easy to dispel," Tiberius put in a bit wearily.

"Well yes, people are afraid to speak up in the event that whom they testify against goes free. There is zero confidence in the Ministry's ability to restore peace."

Harry had always had such a tumultuous relationship with the Ministry, but they had never really done much that he approved of... until now. He was unexpectedly struck with the inclination to increase people's confidence in the Ministry. The feeling was foreign. It felt so strange that his interests were not only shared with the Ministry, but supported by them as well.

"Along those same lines..." Amanda was still explaining as Harry tried to focus. "Miss Weasley, I was wondering if you would consider testifying against the Carrows. I've been told that you may be a great asset in the case against them."

"You want me to testify about the way they were treating students?"

"Yes. About the detentions, what you were being taught in Muggle Studies and Defense Against the Dark Arts... Even the charge of corrupting a minor's education would be helpful against them."

"So I bet torturing underage witches and wizards based on their family connections and using Unforgivables would be pretty helpful." Her tone was rye, but hard. Harry knew she was putting up a front, trying to treat the request lightly. He squeezed her hand in support.

"Can you testify to their actions directly, or just explain the way they mistreated the students around you?"

"Both," that one quiet word spoke volumes to the room at large. Its ominous quality sent of wave a pure silence across everyone. Finally Amanda lifted her eyes back to Ginny's, the question was on her lips, but she didn't want to be too forceful.

"Yes," Ginny said. "I'll do it."

"Thank-you," she said and then filled them all in on the details for the next day. Finally, she politely excused herself. "I must be on my way, lots to do before tomorrow. It was nice meeting you all."

The next few hours were absorbed by the constant flux of Ministry people. Kingsley came to get a full account of China, absorbing every detail they could give him. When he had asked Harry and Ginny if they had understood how they had trapped the attacker, Harry responded simply, "We're working on it…"

"Well if you could stop by the Auror office sometime after the trials tomorrow, I know they'd all appreciate it. Plus I'm sure you're interested in trying to catch who's targeted you."

Harry nodded in appreciation. "Have they made any headway?"

"A little. They're trying to find a connection between the attack at the memorial and the one in China. They are currently trying to find the source that leaked your departure to the media. The source could be innocent, and the attack one of opportunity... or perhaps the source is some sort of mole..." At this Kingsley finally looked as weary as he felt, as the strong fierce personality he presented crumbled. Being Minister at this time must be impossibly exhausting.

"You must be terribly busy, thanks for coming here yourself," Mr. Weasley said.

"Actually, it's quite nice to get out of the Ministry for awhile. I think I finally understand how you feel, Harry. Having everyone watching you, expecting you to be the lone stronghold, their lifeline, is absolutely exhausting. It's like... it's like..."

Harry chuckled darkly. "...like every movement you make is going to reveal the deep truth about the state of the world and the battle for good... You get used to it."

"Well, Kingsley, you're in luck. I've made your favorite dinner," announced Mrs. Weasley as she flourished her wand to retrieve the food she had prepared.

Kingsley smiled. "There really is nothing like Molly's cooking."

"Speaking of public scrutiny..." Hermione interjected looking to Ginny. "We've been thinking perhaps Harry should give some sort of interview, or press conference..."

Kingsley looked surprised.

"You know," Ginny said, "some way to appease the reporters so that they're not sneaking up on us anymore."

"...Or completely fabricating stories..." Harry added with a touch of anger.

"I think that's a great idea. Perhaps you could mention some precautions people should take to stay safe while the remaining Death Eaters are tracked...?" Harry nodded; it seemed like a fair request. "Good," Kingsley continued. "If you say it, so many more will listen."

Ginny looked at Harry as he tensed in response. The magnitude of what he meant to the vast majority of the Wizarding world had not truly sunk in yet. That he had the ability to make a difference just by talking... she knew it boggled his mind. She remembered what he said Dumbledore had told him when he was in limbo; that those who have leadership thrust upon them and then rose to the occasion were the ones best suited to hold such power. She couldn't help but think this was the utter truth when it came to her Harry, the ever so reluctant leader.

"Well, I know Navier, the Ministry's Press Secretary, whom you met in Hogwarts; well he would be more than happy to arrange that. He wanted to come here today, but I, uh, convinced him otherwise." Kingsley laughed in reflection of Navier's protests. Navier and Fudge were still thinking like the old Ministry. The new Minister kept reminding him that trying to put things back the way they were was just asking for things to crumble again.

Mrs. Weasley came back leading levitating trays of food into the sitting room. Kingsley smiled; he knew when he had suggested meeting here what he'd probably get out of it. Feeling a bit devious he confessed.

"Molly, I should admit your cooking was more than a small incentive for meeting here..."

She smiled at the veiled compliment. "Kingsley, you know you are always welcome here. Perhaps..." She looked at him with her head tilted to the side, surveying quizzically.

"Molly," Mr. Weasley said bracingly, "I don't think Kingsley has much time for dating at the moment, so just stop your pondering over who you can set him up with." Mr. Weasley laughed knowing that look all too well. Molly's knack for matchmaking, while usually quite accurate, tended to be a bit of a strain on those receiving her good will. She was looking at Kingsley like her newest project.

Kingsley looked down at his large watch that was filled with activity, much more than any normal time keeping device.

"Ah Mockridge will be here shortly. Did anyone get a chance to review the security plans?" He asked as he quickly shoveled down the food in front of him. At their nod he shifted to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley taking a moment to relax and talk with friends about something other than Ministry plans.

The four decided to nip into the kitchen and take a break also.

*****

As they turned into the kitchen, they were greeted by the rest of the Weasley boys.

"Oh, wise Harry, how goes thy counseling?" George said while dropping into a dramatic bow.

Harry looked at him strangely. "What?"

"Many have made the pilgrimage to hear what Harry the Great has to say. Surely you did not deny them counsel, but of course, if that was your decision, it is no doubt the wisest choice."

"Oh shut it, George," Ginny said reaching into the fridge to pull out the sandwiches her mother had prepared earlier.

"Leave Harry alone," Hermione admonished knowing Harry already felt weird about the attention and his newfound position in the Wizarding world. "He's just doing what is asked of him... He's trying to help."

"Relax, Hermione, I think I like being called Harry the Great. It has a certain ring to it," Harry deadpanned. The serious matter-of-fact tone in his voice made everyone turn.

Harry sauntered over to the table and leaned back in a chair. "Yes. Harry the Great will be wanting to be served his supper now," he said with a dramatic flick of his wrist.

"Oh yes," Ginny brought the tray she was carrying to the table and continued to fawn over him. She stared up at him in over exaggerated admiration as she began to caress his arm. "What else do thou desire, oh masterful savior?"

He leaned in close to her, a smirk on his face. "I desire of a deserted broom closet..."

She laughed tossing her head back as he stared at her eagerly, as if trying to memorize every detail of her.

"Surely, as Harry the Great, Savior of all that is Good, you could simply banish the room's other less important occupants."

"Excellent point. Be gone with ye!"

It was a rare moment indeed to see Harry act so laid back, so carefree. The others watched on with varying degrees of shock, mirth, and confusion. When no one moved, Harry turned a mock blind eye, stood up grabbing Ginny suddenly by the waist and dropping her promptly on the kitchen table. He began peppering he neck and face with kisses as if he was feasting on her while she laughed uncontrollably. Ginny's head fell back as Harry's head pushed further up her neck and under her chin with a growl.

From her reclined position she saw a man through the window behind her make an outraged face contorted with shock and anger. She pushed Harry back so she could turn over her shoulder to properly look at the man peering through the window.

The Weasley boys doubled over in laughter at the look on Harry's face. Of course he would have to pay for his momentary frivolity Ginny sighed.

"Mr. Cuthbert," Harry said getting up hastily and walking to the door adjacent to the window. "Come on in. Sorry, we were...uh, I was just joking around... But come on in, Kingsley is in the sitting room."

Cuthbert's face relaxed a little, but he said nothing. Hermione looked at him questioningly; did he really think Harry was being serious? Around her, the Weasley boys were recovering albeit slowly as the followed Harry leading Cuthbert to the sitting room.

They spent the next few hours discussing the security issues at the Ministry that they had found. Kingsley couldn't help but be impressed. They had caught things that no one in the Auror Department had predicted. It burgeoned his hope for the future of the Auror Department.

Cuthbert took their comments about the Ministry seriously, immediately making plans to eliminate the potential threats to the ministry. He then asked what they thought of the Gringotts plans.

"Actually," Harry said. "We haven't really had a chance to look at them yet..."

"Oh, sure, no problem," he smiled at them stiffly. "Perhaps after you look at the plans you could come by Gringotts and let me know what you think. I will be there the majority of the time trying to help keep everything secure whilst the rebuild is taking place."

"Sure," Harry replied easily. He felt pretty guilty about the state of Gringotts, and would like to apologize to some of the goblins and help in any way he could.

Ginny laughed. "I think if you asked Harry to pick up a hammer and help rebuild the mess he feels personally responsible for, himself he would."

He turned to give her a wry look as the room laughed knowingly. An hour later all guests had left and the Weasley house returned its normal, never quiet, but much calmer self.

*****

"Ginny?" Harry asked tentatively leaning in the doorway to her room.

She turned to him questioningly from where she was digging out her brush from her nightstand.

"Yeah?"

"Hi," he said awkwardly.

"Um, hey," she answered a smile in her tone as he continued to stand there looking around. "Harry, come in."

He sauntered in slowly. She came up and closed her door behind him, wondering what was up with him. He kept looking at her as she walked by him and he reached out to grab her wrist gently taking the brush from her hand and urged her silently to turn around and face the mirror and proceeded to brush her hair with the utmost care, as if anything less gentle would cause pain. He softly continued to brush her long velvety hair solely focused on the task as she watched him warily in the mirror.

"Harry?" she asked finally turning to him and gently removing the brush and setting it down. "What's going on?"

"I love you," he responded lifting his gaze to stare directly into her eyes.

"I love you too."

"I love you so much it scares me a little." She began running her hands up and down his arms, giving soothing massage to the muscles as she went, knowing he had more to say. "When Amanda Rickey said that you would be an ideal person to testify against the Carrows... I was overcome...with anger. I swear I almost lost control of my magic! And I was sitting there unable to stop my mind from imagining what you went through last year..." he sighed. Her hand went up to smooth away the lines his tortured expression had created. "I pray that what I've imagined is worse than what it truly was like, but I doubt it."

"It's over. I'm fine now. We're together."

"My mind was wandering to all these horrible places when suddenly I was reminded of something I had dreamed, something that felt so real... I had this dream about you serving detention in some dungeon. Your wrists were shackled above your head, and these other students were taunting you, taunting you about me. Alecto Carrow was just standing off to the side silently watching the boys called you names, demanding to know whatever you could tell them about me and... and..." Ginny gasped as she could practically see her own memory as he said it. "And... he touched you... that stupid boy in this dream had the audacity to place his hands on you." He looked up to the shock dominating her features.

"It.... it... h-h-happened."

"What?"

"That did happen, the dungeon, detention... How did you know that?"

"That was real?" He began to survey her body as if searching for some sort of physical sign of what had happened.

"You dreamed it? When?"

"I don't know... sometime after we told the Ministry people about what Ron, Hermione and I were doing last year..." She thought back a moment to that day. Neville had been talking about how bad things got at Hogwarts and she had been thrown into that same memory.

"I was thinking about it... when they were talking about the Ministry helping the rebuilding of Hogwarts."

"Great... one more thing we don't understand." He paused looking at the ground. "I tried so hard to keep your connection to me from ruining your life and—"

"Harry, no. So some stupid boys remembered that you and I dated. I convinced them easily that you ditched me and no one ever felt sure either way enough to tell Voldemort."

"Right," he said as if to reassure himself. "I'd hate to think that the pain I put us both through by separating was for nothing... Are you really going to be okay talking about it all in front of people?"

"I can do it," she said in that tone she used when someone was trying to deny her strength.

"I know you can. I just don't want you to hurt needlessly; maybe they don't need you to—"

"Harry, I know how you can make it all feel better," she said and he looked up at her hopefully.

"Make me forget," she said.

"What, Obliviate you? Ginny I don't know..."

She laughed in response; sometimes he was so thick, and then she leaned in to him, sliding her fingers into the front pockets of his jeans, and tugged him closer to her. "No, silly, _make_ me forget," she repeated.

Finally cottoning on, or perhaps simply unable to resist, Harry captured her mouth in his, sliding his arms around her, grabbing fistfuls of the baggy t-shirt she was wearing to bed. She responded in earnest and gladly opened to the insistence of his tongue. Her hands slid around and easily found the back pockets of his jeans, and after a squeeze held him close to her.

He groaned against her mouth as she pressed her hips firmly to him and then slowly slid up to the tips of her toes. Her body created the best sensation of friction with his and he could feel her chest press into him through the thin cotton of her t-shirt. He took a few steps so that she could lean back against the nightstand in her room. His hand, of its own accord, was now under the t-shirt and flitting delightfully over the smooth skin of her back. Lots of smooth, uninterrupted skin... it was all his hand found. He groaned as he realized this meant no bra. His hands continued to trace the line of her waist as his head dipped to feast on her neck.

Ginny's breathing was now ragged. "Harry," she breathed, and then she moaned, creating what had to be the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. Her hands went to the hem of his shirt pulling it up. He tore his mouth away to allow her to succeed in the task. She tossed it on the floor smiling, at him as she took in the sight before her. She traced her hand down the line of his sternum continuing between the ridges of his abdomen. His muscles twitched under her touch. She reached her hands to follow the suggestive curve in his abdomen that surrounded each hip, stopping as she reached the waist of his jeans. He swallowed convulsively; worried for a moment he would have to stop her from going any lower and cause him to embarrass himself horribly. Instead, her hands went back up, following the ridge around his hips and then up his abdomen, over his pecs and up to knead his shoulders. She looked up to see his eyelids fluttering. "Ginny ... what you do to me..." she smiled, but it melted away as he started kissing her again. She had thought she had been kissed before, by other boys... before Harry. But she had been wrong, so wrong, what those other boys did, it didn't even seem like kissing in comparison to what she felt with Harry.

She leaned away from the dresser, towards Harry, as she sensed that the path his hands were on was being obstructed. He slid his hand lower, caressing over her bum. Her hands slid down his bare arms to his wrists and lifted them off her. For a moment he was worried he had overstepped. He pulled back to read her expression as she took his hands and placed them on the end of her shirt and eased them slightly upward before letting go. He stood there, with the front of her shirt fisted in his hands and looked at her questioningly. She slowly raised her hands above her head, and Harry thought he had never seen anything sexier. Slowly he complied, lifting her shirt over her head to reveal her bare torso, dropping it on the nightstand behind her. He couldn't help but stare. She... she was...

"You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." His hands slid to her waist and then slowly upwards. He was burgeoned, but the gasp that escaped her as his hand reached its destination, gently caressing as he watched her reaction anxiously. He peppered kisses across her collarbones before continuing up her neck to recapture her mouth.

"Does... does that feel good?" he asked unable to resist.

"Oh gods yes, yes, Harry. No one's ever... you're the only one I've ever wanted to..." But she didn't have to complete the thought, the sentiment alone stirred something primal in him and he attacked her mouth with fervor. She wrapped her arms tightly behind his neck delighting in the feel of his bare chest on hers. The moment was perfect...

"Alohomora." The door suddenly opened, spilling in an artificial light that ruined the beautiful effect of the moonlight that had been streaming in through the window. Harry reached behind her to where he had placed her shirt keeping her tight to his chest as Ginny groaned now in frustration and embarrassment. What? Was there some sort of innate brother alarm that allowed them to constantly interrupt her? His hand grabbed the shirt as he felt her pull his wand from his back pocket where he knew she had discovered it earlier. His hand wrapped around hers, wanting nothing more than to protect her from whoever's prying eyes they were.

From his wand a cloudy mist exploded, leaving a clear bubble around the two of them.

"HARRY!" Raged a deep voice. Harry turned to Ginny, ignoring the yelling, and slid her t-shirt back on; gently pulling her hair out of the neckline, he grabbed her face looking into her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." She kissed his nose and dropped quickly to the floor to retrieve his shirt, he pulled it on swiftly. "What do you suppose this is? Some sort of obscuring fog?"

Harry shrugged and then cringed, "HARRY POTTER, SO HELP ME!"

"Ron, calm down," Hermione pleaded pulling on his arm.

"Ready for this?" He asked, and she nodded rolling her eyes as together they waved his wand to dissipate the fog filling her room.

"What do you think you were doing?" Ron demanded as soon as he could see Harry. "Here I've been defending you... I think I've been more than understanding... how could you?"

"Ron, calm down," Ginny said nonchalantly.

"I've been telling all my brothers not to worry, Harry's not some horny bloke out to nail my sister, but I guess I was wrong..."

"Ron, don't," Hermione said in a loud whisper.

"Oh, please," Harry said fed up with this drama and all the male posturing about his relationship with Ginny. "And just what have you and Hermione been up to?" He asked incredulous at the double standard. "You know I think of her like a sister; I told you that," he said in a deep quiet voice. "You don't hear me raging about what you two do behind closed doors do you?"

How touched Hermione was at Harry's declaration was hindered by how much she hated it when Harry and Ron fought.

"What are you talking about?" Ron exclaimed.

"Don't act dumb, Ron, you two are sporting matching hickeys!"

Hermione's hand flew to her throat in embarrassment because, of course, their yelling had attracted more Weasleys to Ginny's room.

"What's got these two bosom buddies up in arms?" George asked, looking from the seething Ron to the deadly still Harry; taking in the disheveled appearances of Harry and Ginny, he sighed. "Ahhh, now I get it."

"I was just walking Hermione up to her room and I walked in on those two... they were..." he seemed too appalled to continue.

"We were just saying goodnight," Ginny said sweetly.

"Really, we were just kissing..." Harry added to the room at large turning red.

"Last time I checked, kissing didn't require the loss of clothing!" Ron exclaimed. Harry face turned even redder.

"Well, then you're doing it wrong, Ronald. My apologies, Hermione," Ginny added scathingly. Ron gaped at her as Hermione squelched her laugh.

But the damage had been done, the boys were all hissing around her about betrayal, loss of trust, the gall of Harry, and about teaching him some respect.

"Enough!" Ginny yelled. "I thought that we've been through this!"

"If you think we're going to just let him..."

"Just relax, all of you! My precious virginity is still intact. Happy? It's like that's all you care about! You'd think with a mother like ours you would all be a little less misogynistic!"

"What!?"

"Please! If I was another one of your brothers, you'd all be high fiving me right now and congratulating me on seducing Harriet." Harry cringed.

"But it's different with you!"

"Right, because I'm a girl. Misogynists, the lot of you!" She was fed up. Period. It had been this way her whole life, with flying, with fighting, even swimming in the pond. She would have to help her mother cook, clean and do laundry while the boys would do the 'heavy lifting' outside. It made her want to scream. They had been going on about her relationship with boys since she was eleven! Enough was enough!

"You want to know what Harry was doing?" Harry shot an anxious look at her. "He was trying to help me forget about Hogwarts last year. Trying to replace all the vile memories of the boys who thought I was fair game. Didn't you ever think about it? I was Harry Potter's ex-girlfriend, with a whole family full of blood-traitors, and Order members and, at long last, I was alone at school with none of my brothers to protect me!" She was in a full rage now. There would be no stopping her. And Harry couldn't help but think perhaps she needed to let this all out. "I was the perfect target, a pure blood, so no one would look down on those who chased me, but a blood traitor who had been friendly with The Chosen One, giving them full reign to treat me as they pleased!"

Her brothers looked horrified. "We had no idea," Charlie said horror filling his tone.

"Of course you didn't! You'd have wanted to protect me! Do you think I would let one of my brothers get killed just because of some horny blokes wandering hands and lewd comments! Of course not!"

Harry couldn't wait anymore. He came up behind her running soothing hand over her shoulders. She relaxed against him. "It's okay. It's over. None of them will ever be near you again," he said in her ear. He shot a disproving glance at her brothers... so much for taking her mind off things.

"Look, Ginny, we're sorry. . ."

"I've heard that one before, actually it was not too long ago..."

"I know," Charlie continued. "But we mean it now, as we did then... It's just going to take us a little while."

"What is?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Thinking of you, and treating you, like the grown witch you are."

"Well, try harder," she said but the hard edge in her voice was gone.

"You've always been so forgiving, Ginny."

"Yeah, well if I wasn't, I wouldn't have a single brother I liked!" They laughed as Harry and Hermione looked on incredulous.

"This is how we do it," George said turned to them. "With so many of us, there would be way too much sibling rivalry if we didn't fight and let out the frustrations. So we scream and yell, sometimes there's a few stray curses or pranks here or there, and then and we usually end up apologizing to Ginny. And then all is forgotten."

"Except this time I expect you to remember," Ginny said warningly. "My forgiveness isn't perfect." There was a solemn moment as they acknowledged her words before they all started traipsing off to bed.

After a chaste kiss, Harry followed Ron out of the room.

"Uh, I am sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to fly off the handle at you. You know how I get... I like to think you two do nothing more than hold hands, that kissing is a rare event. I like my delusions. I didn't like them being shattered."

Harry laughed. "Why don't you just go back to pretending," he said as they entered Ron's room. "And so will I..." he said as he kicked a scrap of lilac lace at him.

****

After Ron's snores began to fill the room, Harry heard the door creak open. Ginny peaked her head in surreptitiously. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Leaving her side so abruptly felt . . . wrong. He wanted desperately to wrap her in his arms and drift off to sleep together. He answered the questioning look in her eyes by throwing back his blanket and sliding to one side of his small bed.

Ginny accepted his obvious invitation in a flash and snuggled tightly against him. "I just thought we'd both get a more peaceful nights rest if I joined you," she whispered.

"Excellent plan, Miss Weasley, but let's sneak you out in the morning. I don't think poor Ron's pretend game will be able to survive much more." Whether she understood his words or not didn't matter as she sighed contentedly and drifted off to sleep.


	16. Trials and Error

Part XVI- Trial and Error

Lights were flashing, blinding him as he cleaved desperately to the hand wrapped in his. He was jostled by the Aurors that had insisted on accompanying him. Now that he was surrounded by a crowd of reporters and other witches and wizards trying to make the short journey from the Ministry car to the entrance to the Ministry itself, he felt a bit relieved that he had the ring of protectors. He couldn't help but think if there was ever a time to attack 'The Chosen One' this was it. Questions were being shouted at him as they all neared the entrance. Everything from whether he thought Death Eaters should be executed to what his favorite color was . . . the Aurors closed in on them and Harry wrapped his arm tightly around Ginny while the other nervously gripped his wand. Finally they made it past the main doors to where the flow of people could be more easily controlled.

Harry let his head fall back against the cool stonewall, taking a deep breath. It was going to be a long day. He let them usher him further through the Ministry. One of the Aurors stooped lower to speak quietly to him.

"All the security precautions have been holding up nicely and the changes you suggested were made. So now, we just wait for our turn to head to the courtrooms." Harry smiled grateful for the information the man shared with him. He looked over to Ron and Hermione incredulously.

"Did you hear them?" Ron asked. "They were calling us the Golden Trio! Seriously? The Golden Trio? That's the best they could do?" Ron's outrage at the nickname that he apparently did not approve of, sent Harry laughing and he found himself relaxing a little. Soon they were ushered down the corridor to the courtroom.

Harry gazed around in shock; the room was different yet again. The room was hexagonal in shape. The Wizengamot were set up against the flat wall across from them and there was a long thin table to his right and to his left sitting lined with chairs facing the Wizengamot. The table to the left had magical restraints already clanking against it in front of the three right-most chairs. The right hand table contained no such restraints. Behind the tables where they had entered was more seating than Harry had ever seen for a trial. As the group continued to be ushered in, they reached the open space separating the two tables from the Wizengamot along the diagonal walls and the two side walls even more stadium style seating.

Amanda Rickey approached them. "Alright, the gallery is open to anyone," she said gesturing to the seating that was full circle around the Wizengamot. "The press members have reserved seating over there," she said as she pointed to the seating that lay diagonally next to the Wizengamot. "But above them or the seating behind the witness and accused seating is open to anyone."

Harry fidgeted a little turning around from the center of the courtroom; he could hear people talking about him and see their pointing. He cringed a little thinking about having to talk in front of everyone. Ginny grabbed his hand again.

She leaned into him and whispered. "We'll all sit there," she said indicating the place on the opposite side of the Wizengamot as the press. "So you can see us the whole time."

He smiled at her grateful he wouldn't have to ask them to do that.

"Why are so many people here?" Harry asked as people continued to parade in each party of fifteen to twenty people.

"Many are here because the Malfoys affected their friends and family in some way." She discreetly pointed to a group of people huddled closely together. Two teenage girls clung desperately to, by the looks of it, their older brother, who was maybe a year or two older than Harry. His face was hard. Harry recognized that look. He was trying to put up a brave front. "Their father was an Unspeakable. They believe Lucius imperiused him for awhile, before everyone really believed the You-Know-Who was back. Their dad committed suicide. They'll probably never know whether he was trying to stop himself from doing what Lucius made him, or if he was forced to do something that horrified him so much that he—"

"Or if he was just imperiused into doing it," Harry added darkly.

"Right. They said their dad was acting strangely and they saw Lucius with him a lot even though those two never had any sort of relationship prior to that . . . but there is no way of knowing for sure. So, no way of convicting him for that crime."

"That's horrible," Hermione said. "To live with that uncertainty . . . What about their mother?"

"Muggle, I'm not sure she believes what her children do. . . But to answer your original question, I think many are here simply because they want to see that something is being done about what's been happening for the last year and of course, some came to hear what you have to say," she finished apologetically looking at Harry. "Perhaps we should all head to our seats," she said after regarding the large clock on the wall.

She indicated to Harry to follow her, Harry let Ginny's fingers slide out of his hand as he walked with the Law Official to the long thin table and sat where she indicated. The crowd hushed and then an outbreak of whispering ensued. Just above the dim he could her a witch's voice.

"If you are just joining us, this is Sally McCaulfield, for Wizarding Wireless International, and I am here live in the infamous courtroom awaiting the start of the first of many war crime trials. Harry Potter, that's right ladies and gentlemen The Chosen One himself has just taken his place at the witness's stand." The woman's voice had a certain melodic quality to it, even if she was speaking in a stage whisper. "Even the most solemn expression, which now covers his face, can't hide his roguishly handsome features."

Despite her nervous stress, Amanda almost laughed out loud as Harry's face turned red. "Well it appears he may have heard me, because now he has turned a delightful shade of red, though it does not come close to concealing the famous lightning scar." Harry turned to look for Ginny and found her where she said she'd be seated. She was shaking in laughter. He gave her a thanks-a-lot look as she raised her hand to stifle her laughter.

"He seems to be communicating silently with someone across the courtroom. Ah yes. Between their sheer number, and vibrant hair it is very hard to miss the Weasleys. And there she is, Miss Ginny Weasley, rumored to be dating Harry Potter. I must say I find the integrity of some of my fellow reporters to be greatly lacking. The claim of an underage, unwed pregnancy has been proven false. I truly hope that those calling themselves reporters do not continue to cause drama for Harry Potter and his friends. I'd think the boy deserves a little respect and a little privacy. It's only fair after all he has done."

Harry was taken aback, surprised at the woman's comments and thankful for her interest in the truth. He turned to look at her and found her still staring at him. He nodded his head slightly to acknowledge his thanks and she returned the gesture. During his distraction several other witches and wizards and found their place at his table and the neighboring one.

Suddenly a door opened and in streamed the Wizengamot in a carefully choreographed manner. All faces were serious, and Harry knew, from personal experience, this sight was sure to frighten any of the accused.

The door in the back opened as the Malfoys entered flanked by wizards and witches in dark grey robes, on their chest was an emblem of an A made in a strong block letter. Harry's eyes widened. Guards? He shook his head, who did he think was guarding Azkaban? No way the Dementors would go back to their old jobs, and after the free reign they had under Voldemort it seemed unlikely they would ever fall under Ministry control again.

He looked to his left as the Malfoys took their seats. One of the guards placed Lucius's right arm on the table and tapped the chains with his arm shackling Lucius's wand arm to the table. Harry had never seen Draco more defeated. He seemed resigned. As his father pulled against the restraint in fury, Harry noticed Draco inch further away from his father as if in attempt to distance himself from him. Narcissa had the same expressionless face he always knew her to have.

A gavel sounded loudly and silence fell in the courtroom. A member of the Wizengamot rose and began to read the charges of the accused. Harry found himself getting lost in the pomp and circumstance of the proceedings. The radio witch was still speaking in her foe whisper. The witches and wizards in the gallery were scanning the room, most staring at Harry or one of the Malfoys.

"Ms. Rickey, please present the case of Mr. Lucius Malfoy first," finished the Ministry employee. She rose from her place next to Harry to speak.

"There is no refuting that Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater. Lucius has been a Death Eater since the first war, after which he was never punished for his actions. The case today remains whether or not Mr. Malfoy was acting of his own free will. Was he simply trying to stay alive and protect his family or did he rejoice in the new world that the Dark Lord had presented him? For it is in our laws that crimes against humanity, acts that are considered heinous to our world are still punishable by law even if committed during wartime. In order to convict Lucius Malfoy and condemn him to a lifetime sentence, the members of the Wizengamot must feel certain that Lucius Malfoy's actions were of his own will. The only real way to prove this is to establish a pattern of behavior, if one acted to support the Dark Lord and his agenda throughout one's life it is hard to claim coercion during wartime. But first Lucius Malfoy is invited to discuss the charges against him, and explain his plea."

Amanda Rickey was impressive. As she spoke everyone was riveted. She presented the facts clearly, speaking honestly and without prejudice, simply laying out the facts of the case.

Not even two minutes into Lucius's well rehearsed speech and Harry had to tune him out. Did this man ever quit? He spoke as if remorseful of his actions, carefully slipping in well-known names here and there for effect. He was sure to make self-serving claims, like why would he spend so much of his personal effort and financial support for the Ministry if he truly wanted to see it crumble. He claimed he was shocked by Riddle's return and had no choice but to answer his summons or risks the lives of his family. Draco didn't even bother to conceal the disgust on his face as his father claimed he was only thinking of the well being of his only son.

Harry turned to watch the Wizengamot's response wondering if any of them were buying Lucius' act. Some were scoffing completely unconvinced, but there were a few who looked . . .sympathetic. Finally Lucius's swan song came to a close. Ms. Rickey turned to look up at the Wizengamot.

"Mr. Potter is here to give testimony of his interactions with Mr. Malfoy over the time he has known him." This was it, Harry thought apprehensively.

One of the Wizengamot members spoke up first, "Please, tell us in detail of these interactions, Mr. Potter."

Harry regarded the questioner for a second. Really? He was just supposed to explain everything now? His eyes sought his row of supporters burgeoning him on. When his eyes landed on Ginny's, he finally began to answer.

"The first contact I had with Mr. Malfoy was in my second year. He gave a known, dark, dangerous artifact to an eleven-year old girl. Upon discovery, all he said to Dumbledore was that he couldn't prove that he was the culprit. He tried to kill me later, because I freed Dobby." Harry's voice caught as he swallowed hard trying desperately to remove the knot in his throat. Somehow mentioning Dobby out loud brought his death to the surface. It caught him a bit by surprise.

"I'm sorry who is this Dobby?"

"He was a house elf for the Malfoys. He had tried to warn me, to keep me from going to Hogwarts because he knew of a plan to harm me, and others. A plan he learned about from his 'masters'," Harry said the word with contempt. "Of course, he could never fully divulge this because his attempts to warn me and prevent my return to Hogwarts always caused him to punish himself violently because he had disobeyed his 'masters'." Harry swallowed suddenly filled with sadness at the amount of Dobby's life that had been wasted as someone's slave.

"We should question this elf directly," another voice spoke up.

"You can't," Harry said he throat constricted and he willed his eyes not to well. "He is dead. Bellatrix Lestrange killed him when he helped me and my friends escape Malfoy Manor a couple months ago."

Off to the side, Sally McCaulfield was whispering feverously trying to keep her listeners up to speed. "It appears Mr. Potter suffered a great personal loss with the death of the house elf Dobby. He seems to be struggling to speak of it . . ."

"When were you held at the Malfoy Manor?"

But Ms. Rickey stood to intercede. "Let's stay on track here. Are there questions pertaining to this instance first."

"Yes. What do you mean by dark artifact?"

"It was an object that allowed the Chamber of Secrets to be opened," Harry answered wearily.

"Was anyone hurt as a result of the Chamber being opened?" Harry turned to regard this new questioner. His graying hair was slicked back and his posture was rigid. He presented his question with a knowing air that infuriated Harry.

"No one suffered permanent physical harm," Harry stated slowly and deliberately. "Well except for the basilisk when I stabbed it to save a friend's life." His comment fostered an outbreak of whispered conversations. Just because he had managed, just barely, to stop anyone from being killed did not mean Lucius's actions didn't merit conviction. And perhaps because the student most nearly killed by this was Ginny, Harry's anger boiled over easily.

"When was the next interaction you had with Lucius Malfoy?" Ms. Rickey asked with a sharp tone, effectively cutting off all conversation.

"He was present right after Voldemort's rebirth. He claimed his allegiance to Voldemort and claimed he was bidding his time, putting up a front in the wizarding world, while he waited for Voldemort's return. He stood there as Voldemort tortured me and ultimately tried to kill me, and the next time I see him, I'm the one who's on trial and he's cavorting with the Minister of Magic."

"But surely none of that is punishable by law," said the man with the slick grey hair.

Harry felt his temper rising and then let his eyes shift to Ginny. He took solace in her calm gaze for one second before answering. "I am only here to tell you what I have witnessed. It will be your job to determine if his actions were punishable by law or not."

"Mr. Potter," Ms. Rickey slid in smoothly, "You've had quite a bit of experience with Death Eaters, in your opinion, was Lucius a willing member?"

"From what I've seen, in his actions and attitudes, Lucius rejoined the Death Eaters, fearful of his master, but more than willingly, almost eagerly, well at least until he lost Voldemort's favor. When snatchers captured us and we were held at Malfoy manor, he was very eager to use my capture as leverage to regain Voldemort's approval and favor."

"This is the opinion of one boy. Someone who has a known grudge against the accused," Harry gritted his teeth, he was only answering the questions he was asked. "I think Mr. Malfoy should at this point be allowed to state his position on these claims."

Even the ever calm and collected Ms. Rickey shifted in her chair in annoyance, preparing for another tirade of lies from Lucius. Neither her, nor Harry was surprised as Lucius began elaborating about how keeping his true feelings about the life he had been forced to lead was the only way to ensure protection of his wife and son. Harry looked over to the gallery and saw a growing agitation in the crowd. The crowd was not happy with where this case was heading.

"Are there any questions about Mr. Malfoy's last statement?" Ms. Rickey asked the Wizengamot trying to get things back on track. "Alright, well let's continue with Mr. Potter's testimony."

"What else have you witnessed of Mr. Malfoy's actions between the time of the Dark Lord's return and when you were snatched?" She asked Harry barely masking her weariness.

"He was part of Voldemort's plot to steal a prophecy." At this, the whispering murmurs swelled and echoed in the old courtroom. The call for order took several attempts before the crowd died down.

"Which prophecy?"

Harry sighed; they had talked about this, people had assumed as much. It seemed important to explain the willingness of the Death Eaters on trial to attack fourteen and fifteen year olds. Amanda had explained it was important to establish a pattern of action with Lucius. His endangerment of underage witches' and wizards' life to fulfill his role as a Death Eater was an important point in the case.

"The prophecy saying that either I would finish Voldemort, or he would kill me." He cringed slightly waiting for the increased murmuring, but instead he got stunned silence and a room full of people staring at him. "Um, so anyway, Riddle wanted the prophecy and he . . . set a trap, and had Mr. Malfoy waiting for me and my friends when we arrived. He, along with other Death Eaters, attacked us. He led them, solely focused on obtaining the prophecy for his master." Harry spat the word out disdainfully. "If a 4th or 5th year wizard was hurt along the way, then so be it."

"So he used curses against you. Did he do anything that caused any _actual_ harm?"

Harry's eyes narrowed at the question. "No. Not in this incident. He, following in the coattails of his master, made someone else do the dirty work. He did threaten to kill my friends if I did not hand over the prophecy." Across the room, Ginny's face contracted in concern, wondering whether his temper would win. "But I hardly think the fact that underage witches and wizards were able to successfully defend themselves against his attacks means he's innocent. Surely his intent to harm should matter. I can't believe the Ministry would reward him for his lack of skill in dueling." His temper won. Lucius yanked his wand arm of the table causing loud clanking in the restraint. It was the first time Harry

looked at him the whole time he had been talking. One of the guards walked closer and put a restraining arm on his shoulder keeping him in the chair.

"Restrain yourself, or we will increase your restrains," came a quiet warning.

Lucius met Harry's gaze, sneering at him in contempt. Harry just regarded him calmly. After speaking his mind he felt considerably more in control. There was a moment's pause as the proceedings returned to order.

"So Mr. Malfoy was ordered by the Dark Lord to retrieve the prophecy. You said that yourself, didn't you?"

Harry nodded his head as the infuriating man continued. "If he was following orders just to keep his family safe . . ."

"All Voldemort ever did was give orders. He didn't ever ask if his Death Eaters fancied doing the job he gave them. _Everything_ was an order. So by your logic all Death Eaters should be forgiven and cannot be punished because they were acting to save their own lives! Because all of them were always following orders!?"

"I'm not saying that," the man said testily. "I'm saying we can hardly send him to Azkaban for actions he did to preserve his life, and that ultimately never really harmed anyone . . ."

BANG! A loud crash ensued as instant darkness surrounded them, the whole room was obscured. Instinctively Harry was on his feet, wand in hand. He had already cast a Lumos charm without sparing any of his attention to it, but could barely see more than a foot in front up him. Everywhere around him panic ensued. Harry knew he was more than vulnerable in his current position in the center of the room. Suddenly, very familiar spheres of light popped into the room forming a circle around the center of the proceedings.

Thank Merlin for Ron, was Harry's only thought as he rapidly took in the surroundings. The irritating man from the Wizengamot was knocked out of his chair, hopefully only unconscious. To Harry's left was Lucius Malfoy, his restraint had been blasted off the table and he was bleeding profusely from his waist, and was desperately clutching his side. The man was confronted by a wall of hundreds of glass shards that came from the massive chandelier, which had been forcefully crashed into the floor in the center of the courtroom. Near the remnants of the chandelier, in front of Harry, was the boy Ms. Rickey had pointed out earlier, the one whose father committed suicide. His wand was out, pointed as Lucius tried to control the glass shards that moved threateningly closer to him.

"You think you can get away with everything again! You think that you are above the law! Your actions have consequences! You destroyed my family. If justice will not be served by the Ministry, then I will serve it myself."

The Azkaban guards made no attempt to stop the young man. The already lofted glass could instantly be a weapon against anyone, giving the boy a strong upper hand.

Harry desperately wanted to protect the man on trial from the assault, but his desperation was born out of his concern for what would happen to the boy and his already grieving family if his actions were successful, not for Lucius's well being.

"You don't want to do this," Harry said in a calm tone. Ginny was almost shaking with worry as Harry brought the attacker's attention to him. It didn't help that he was nearest to the boy, save for Lucius Malfoy. She wanted nothing more intensely than to rush to his side and throw their protective web around him. In desperation, her arm reached, half-extended, toward him, even though her brain knew full and well they were more than fifty meters apart. Her own arm caught her attention in the dim, red lights were streaking down her arm, visible under her skin, followed rapidly by yellows, oranges and pinks, like a one way high speed road, the lights flew downward toward her fingertips.

"Please," Harry was saying. "Think of your sisters," he pleaded. The boy wavered as his face contorted in pain. Harry was so focused trying to talk the boy down while racking his brain for a defense spell that would protect people from the glass weapons, he didn't think a shield charm would be strong enough. He was so intent that he didn't notice the light show he had become. Fire colored streaks were rapidly traveling up his left arm toward his chest.

"No," the boy said. "My sisters want this too . . . they'll understand . . ."

Acting instinctively, Harry threw out his wand in desperation, parallel to the wall of glass. The lights suddenly changed course flowing not just up his left arm but down his right as well. From his wand sprung a web of colors so thick, it looked completely solid, creating a sheet of vibrant color separating the glass from Lucius. Harry jerked his wand forward sweating with the strain of that small movement and the wall collided with the glass. The glass melted and fell harmlessly to the floor, creating ironically aesthetic looking ornaments. Harry was shaking now, struggling to contain the wall as he turned to the boy and met his eye. The boy dropped his wand and held up his hands in defeat, and Harry lowered the wall. The Azkaban guards finally made their move and restrained the attacker. Harry bent over putting his hands on his knees panting, he felt like his body was going to explode with energy. He was dizzy and nauseous.

Then he heard a depressingly familiar sound. His head whipped up to determine what had made Hermione scream and saw her sag to the ground trying to support Ginny's unconscious frame. Harry ran full tilt across the room vaulting over the end of the crashed chandelier.

Tiberius Ogden turned to the Weasleys from his seat with the Wizengamot. "This way; bring her this way," he yelled leading them out the way the Wizengamot entered.

Harry altered his course without changing his speed and caught up with them the second they passed through the door.

"Her arm was covered in lights like yours were; after that wall dropped, she collapsed," Hermione told him immediately, worry making the words come out in a rush.

Ginny began to moan and stir in Ron's arms and he carefully set her down in the nearest chair as Charlie rushed to help him support her.

Harry rushed to her, falling to his knees before her, his shoulders were almost vibrating they were shaking so much. Harry reached out and grabbed her face.

"Ginny? Ginny please, are you alright?" At the sound of his voice, her eyes struggled open. Harry locked onto her gaze, and without forethought reached down to grasp her arms. Their forearms interweaved as they clasped each other's elbows. Their breathing started to synchronize.

Slowly, starting at Harry's elbows, the lights began to spiral around their joined limbs as if binding them together; then they spiraled all the way to Ginny's elbow and then back to Harry's. Back and forth the action repeated. Ginny seemed to grow stronger and Harry felt the odd sensation of his chest cavity vibrating. Finally, color returned to Ginny's face and the spiraling lights seemed to seep back into their skins.

Ginny tossed her arms out around him. "Must you throw yourself into every dangerous situation you can find?"

He chuckled without humor. "Can't help it," he muttered. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. . ." She felt . . . funny. It was almost like after a long Quidditch match, when she'd come back dehydrated and gulped down water quickly. It always made her feel better, but it also always made her feel a little out of balance.

Harry eased her back into the chair and returned to his position before her. He let his forehead rest on hers, breathing deeply, assuring himself that she was fine. She had been so pale and lifeless when she collapsed, like all that had made her the living thriving woman he knew had left her. It scared him, more than any dark wizard ever could. He then leaned forward his hands on either side of her on the chair and gave her the most tender of kisses. Slowly, he caressed her lips with his, as if this was the last kiss they'd share, as if he was trying to memorize the simply but powerful sensation of her lips on his.

Several of her brothers turned away. This seemed somehow more intimate than if they had interrupted a passionate snogging session.

Harry let his head fall to her shoulder as she soothingly ran fingers through his hair. Mrs. Weasley's heart-clenched at the sight, seeing the tension in his face just before he buried it near Ginny's collarbone, thinking that Harry's experiences probably made it easy for him to assume the worst of any situation. As usual, Mrs. Weasley was right on the mark, a part of Harry expected to loose Ginny. She made him too happy, loosing her seemed like an inevitability to a small fraction of his tarnished heart.

"You know, mate," Ron put in suddenly. "If you want to stay out of the press, you probably should stop turning into a light display whenever you are out in public."

Harry pulled back from Ginny with a dark laugh. "Thanks, Ron, I'll work on that."

"What was that? What happened?" George asked.

Harry and Ginny looked to each other in confusion. "I don't know," Harry said truthfully. "I didn't even realize it was happening." They all looked at him like he was crazy. "Well I was a bit distracted, wasn't I?"

"I just remember thinking I wished I could be there next to you," Ginny said softly. "So . . . so that I would have some way to protect you . . .That's when the lights started . . . it made my skin look translucent, like my blood was speeding to my fingertips but, it was glowing and multicolored."

"I was just trying to figure out how to stop that bloke, worrying that a shield spell wouldn't restrain solid objects. I was worrying about containing the glass shards because I knew he could kill anyone in that room with just a flick with his wand. I reached out, thinking that trying something was better than just standing there. I barely even thought of a shield when something else exploded from my wand . . . well you saw what happened . . ."

"And how did you feel afterwards?" Tiberius questioned leadingly, already forming a hypothesis.

The door opened again to reveal a haggard looking Kingsley. "Malfoy has been patched up, Tibbleson of the Wizengamot has been revived and Mr. Smith has been taken into custody," he said without preamble. "Is everyone in here okay? Miss Weasley?"

They all nodded. Ginny moved to stand but almost lost her balance with sudden dizziness. Harry, of course, caught her. "I'm fine," she said into his worried face. "Just a little light headed."

"What's the plan, Kingsley?" Mr. Weasley asked though his worried gaze was still on his only daughter.

"Well we're going to go on with the trials, after we get a few things settled. It is almost time for the mid-day break anyway . . . The Auror department is calling in everyone they can spare, but they're overstretched and understaffed as it is. I was hoping to avoid this . . . but we are going to station Aurors surrounding the perimeter of the galleries. If anyone moves suspiciously, the Aurors will take them down immediately. The problem is Aurors are not big fans of turning their back to accused Death Eaters and surveying the crowd." Harry snorted. He could hardly blame them. "They have little to no trust of the barely trained, hastily hired Azkaban guards, a problem we're working on," he added. "So they insist on working in pairs with someone is watching the gallery and the other has his back, watching the accused."

"Why not just refuse entry to the crowd? Or confiscate their wands?" George asked.

"It is against Wizarding law to deprive a wizard of their wand without just cause," Ron said and then turned to Hermione's surprised face. "What? I do listen when you talk."

"He's right," Hermione said smiling at him. That just won him some brownie points, redeemable in the nearest broom closet . . . she refocused her mind. "And war crime trials have always been open to the public; all cases large enough to merit the Wizengamot are supposed to have an open gallery. Plus, to deny public access would seem as though there was something to hide, that the trials were biased in some way or, it would convince people that the Ministry had no semblance of control. If it is too dangerous for people to be present at the Ministry itself how could the Ministry possibly be able to protect them elsewhere?"

Kingsley smiled to himself. Perhaps the best of their generation had not been destroyed by war, as he had feared.

"But won't the fact that the bloke was able to take down a Wizengamot member and injure an accused do the same thing?" Charlie asked.

"I think people's reaction would be much worse if an accused had been the attacker instead of the attacked. I think, and fear, some will feel Mr. Smith's actions were justified after his story hits the press. . . Plus, like it or not, Harry saving the day will be the most talked about part of the story, not the breach of security," Kingsley answered sounding slightly apologetic. "Trials are to recommence at two o'clock. I'm sure food will be here shortly," he said looking around the decent sized chamber. "This is the Wizengamout's lounge and goodness knows we don't want them cranky, but you lot are welcome to recuperate here," Kingsley finished, dropping his formal tone as he often did with the Weasley's. He turned from them releasing a weary sigh before pulling himself of tall, and removing all trace of concern from his features. He then pushed the door open and strode out confidently. Harry couldn't help but feel respect for the man who had taken on an impossible job.

Behind him, in filed the Wizengamot, many of whom approached Harry inquiring about the magic he had performed and thanking him for his heroics. Harry's seeming unwillingness to answer their questions and the sudden presence of several round tables laden with food finally drew the crowd away.

"Actually, Tiberius," Harry said as Tiberius moved to join his colleagues, "I'd like a word with you, if you don't mind."

"Certainly, Harry," he said beaming. He led Tiberius and the rest of their party to an empty table in the corner. When they sat, Harry turned to Tiberius.

"It seemed like you may have had some insight about what just happened," he said looking at Tiberius hopefully. Tiberius smiled like a six-year-old just being told they were going to be rewarded for a good job with a trip to the zoo.

"Yes, yes, how _did_ you both feel directly after the event?"

"I felt dizzy, nauseous even, and I was shaking so hard it felt like I had put my finger in a socket," as more than half the table gave Harry strange looks, he added. "You know, electricity, Muggle stuff . . . never mind. I just felt like I was vibrating, humming even. For a second I wondered if it was adrenaline, but this was so much stronger than that . . ." he turned to Ginny wondering if she had shared in this experience.

"It was very different for me," she said slowly as if the words surprised her. "Immediately after, I felt like I had been sapped of my strength. Like I had been sprinting for a decade and had finally stopped, leaving nothing in me. That's when I passed out."

"That's sort of what I expected you to say," Tiberius said jovially. "Magic is a very carefully balanced thing. You may not realize it, but your body works very hard to keep your magic in tune with the rest of your body. Like I was telling you before, you have an internal catalyst, every magical being does. It stimulates the growth of your magic. Like everything else, when magic is used it must be regenerated. Your internal catalyst not only allows you to access your magic and use it but also allows you replenish the magical energy you spend.

As you may have heard before, suppressing someone's magic can cause them to release it in strong uncontrollable bursts." Harry's mind flashed to Arianna, understanding exactly what Tiberius was getting at. "Magic exists at a level in your body that is balanced with your output, it replenishes at a rate that constantly keeps it at the same level. But if you never use your magic is just constantly builds up. Your body will try to compensate by slowing the replenishing rate, but it can't stop entirely. So those who suppress their magical abilities end up accumulating more than their body can contain. Dumbledore was always very interested in this aspect of magic . . ." For a moment, Tiberius's normally light-heartedness disappeared before he shook his head, clearing the haunting memories from his mind. "Only incredibly powerful wizards can use so much magic that their body cannot keep up with the replenishing. Dumbledore was one of them. He had to work really hard to learn his limitations. He had to train very carefully so that his body learned to replenish his magic at a higher rate, but this takes time and conditioning. His magical catalyst was far beyond what most experience, it allowed him to not only build up great stores of magic, but also access and utilize this magic. More than once I saw him pass out if he used too much too soon . . ."

Harry saw several Wizengamot member's leaning in, after taking note of the serious posture of the people sitting around him. He saw Hermione mutter a quick Muffiliato spell.

"I'm not sure I'm understanding," Harry said. "Ginny was using her magic too quickly?"

"Well, yes and no. The connection between you two has grown so rapidly that your bodies probably aren't able to respond to it properly yet. Amplifying your magic allows you to use much more than you normally would. Think of a scale balance," he said holding his hands, palms up, at the same height. "To do a normal Protego spell your body uses a certain amount of magical energy." He lowered one hand. "Your body knows that it is likely you will use this amount of magical energy and is constantly replenishing at a rate that keeps you in balance," he said balancing his hands again. "But your body doesn't wait until the energy is gone to try to replace it. It is constantly re-strengthening you so that you are always ready. Few witches or wizards ever use enough of their stores of magic to feel a difference."

"So basically your body keeps your input rate equal to that of your output rate?" Hermione interjected. When Tiberius nodded enthusiastically, several others finally showed some signs of comprehension.

"But now, for that super charged protective spell you just used, it probably took hundred times the magical energy of a normal spell. This would normally leave your body unable to keep up with your magical output, and therefore leave you depleted."

"But then why didn't_ I_ collapse?" Harry asked.

"It's because of your connection with Ginny. You were only able to do that spell because Ginny amplified your magic . . . Up until now, it seems that you two have done the spells together, your magic amplifies her stores and hers yours. But it seems that what Miss Weasley accomplished was to send her magic to you across a distance, a feat that requires a terrible amount of power and magical energy. You received some of her energy and then of course her magic reacted with yours amplifying it leaving you with vast amount of magic, more than you could possible cope with, that shaking feeling was the magic trying to find a way out."

Harry's and Ginny's hands had become intertwined without a conscious thought when Tiberius started his explanation. Ginny now squeezed Harry's hand at his obvious concern for the damage a vast amount of uncontainable magic could cause.

"On the other side of the galleon, Ginny, who had sent magic your way, was not receiving any of yours in order to amplify her stores. The amplification process was only working one way. Leaving you, Harry, with too much magic and Ginny with too little." Harry inexplicably felt like a jerk. Everyone knew only taking and never returning was a bad thing in any relationship. He looked down in irrational guilt.

Ginny laughed, as her family looked at her like she was crazy. "Harry, don't feel guilty, you silly bloke. You can make it up to me later," she added facetiously, but she moved their joined hands where they rested on her knee beneath the table further up her thigh. Harry turned to her incredulously, all signs of guilt washed away. She just laughed again.

"So . . . so the lights that wrapped their forearms. . . Was that their magic restoring the balance between them?"

"Very good, Miss Granger! That's quite astute of you!" Tiberius hadn't had this much fun in years, and it showed on his face. He always liked a good puzzle. He may not be the most powerful wizard, but what he lacked in magical strength, he made up for with intellect. Harry couldn't help but think perhaps this man was enjoying this complication in his already complicated life a little too much.

"So you think there was a large imbalance because this time the magic flowed one way, right?" At his nod Hermione continued. "Is it possible that the two-way connection also leaves them unbalanced?"

"Hmm, I don't know what you mean . . .I don't see how that could be . . ."

"Well, there was one night, when Ron, Harry, Ginny and I were all in the same hotel room," she rolled her eyes at George's cat-calling. "And . . . well that sort of intertwining of lights that occurred around their arms during the trial, happened too. But it was over both of them . . ."

General cries of confusion and complaints of the withholding of this information ensued.

"Give us a break," Ron said. "We were going to try to figure this stuff out in a day or two."

Tiberius turned back to Hermione. "Could you explain the event to me?"

"Well, Harry and Ginny were both sleeping on opposite ends of the room, both had the sort of streaking lights under their skin. We were getting really worried when Harry got up and stumbled over to Ginny. He, he uh, managed to lie down and pull Ginny on top of him so that every limb aligned perfectly in one movement. Then the lights started circling them."

Tiberius looked puzzled. "And this was the first time this happened?" He asked Harry and Ginny. They turned to look at each other hesitating a breath.

"Honestly, we're not sure," Harry said.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Well it happens in our sleep, right? I don't remember any of it from the night you and Hermione were there."

"So on any of the countless other nights you shared a bed with my sister it could have also occurred," George said, but his tone was riddled with humor. Those two kept getting themselves into trouble. Plus it was funny to watch the timid, quiet Potter of the past come back with a vengeance and squirm whenever pushed to share things he'd rather keep private.

"Well . . . we sleep better that way. Less nightmares," Harry responded barely audible, keeping his eyes on the table. George would have laughed as Harry predictably shifted in discomfort but, all the Weasleys knew of Ginny's nightmares. They were something no one before had been able to help or stop, despite their best efforts.

"Plus otherwise I feel . . . off in the morning," Ginny said.

"Me too," Harry said slowly.

"Then perhaps it's true . . . what Miss Granger witnessed was not the first time." He appeared deep in thought. "I think it all comes back to balance. If you two are using this connection frequently, consciously or unconsciously allowing your magic to mix . . . It is possible that your bodies have attempted to compensate for this, to the point that you become _un_balanced when you experience an extended period of time without the other's magical energy."

"So, are you saying that Harry can now claim he has to spend the night with Ginny for her health? Sneaky little bugger, isn't he?" Charlie and Percy laughed as George's false indignation took on the style of a teenage girl, complete with overly feminine mannerisms.

"Actually," Tiberius said. "It's a bit more serious than that. This is something that can be corrected, with work. But if I'm right, it would mean all someone would have to do is separate these two and wait for them to weaken . . ." For the first time, Tiberius looked solemn as he considered the problems this presented. "I'm sure with time your bodies would adjust themselves well, but I'm not sure it's a good idea in present day and time to wait . . . " He let this ominous note hang in the air a second, but then his friendly smile returned. "On the bright side, seeing Miss Weasley's ability to share magic across a distance, I bet with practice restoring your balance could be done across a distance as well. I'm sure you are both comforted by knowing that if you are not there to help each other when one of you is put in harm's way, you can still send enough magic for the other to be protected and safe."

Harry was grateful that he had reminded them of this fact. There was definitely a silver lining to this thing. To know a part of him could always be with Ginny to keep her protected bolstered his spirit like nothing else could.

"Yeah, we should definitely work on the distance thing . . ."

"You think that we may be allowing our magic to mix unconsciously? Like when we're sleeping?" Ginny asked.

"Well, when you're sleeping, yes. But also it's possible that seemingly normal activities could allow for your magic to mix. Dumbledore and I studied and worked really hard to understand all the mechanics we could, because the physicality of magic is undeniable. But this catalyst stuff, it is so deeply entwined with your heart . . . or your soul . . . It's possible that whenever you reach out emotionally, you are also extending your magic to the other.

"Yes, the amplified magic has been made visible most of the time, but that is when it's at its strongest. Your bodies try to dispel some of the energy and the result is the color and light. If you share and mix magic in small doses, it may never reach the level where it would become visible. Plus, since your bodies have gotten to know the other's magical signature, it is possible it would seek out the strength and benefit of mixing by purposely moving to the other whenever possible."

Harry absorbed this, but his mind was still lingering over something else. Soul. . . His eyes narrowed as his mind tried to cleave to the forming idea in his head.

"What is it, Harry?" Ginny asked softly.

"Well I was just thinking, if it's true that the catalyst is a part of or connected to one's soul . . ." He turned to Tiberius again. "I . . . I had a piece of Voldemort's soul connected to mine for most of my life," he dragged the words out as if they were unwillingly to spill from his tongue. "It wasn't until I was finally able to get rid of that piece—"

"That you and Ginny experienced this connection! That makes perfect sense. The fraction of Voldemort's soul could have easily hindered any potential interaction between your magic. Once you were free of him, your catalyst was able to extend past its confines. It also explains why it has grown so strong so fast! It's like an obstruction in a dam was finally removed. If all of that is true, that would explain why your bodies are struggling to maintain a balance. Perhaps this connection would have developed slowly over time . . . or maybe it has been trying to, and has been thwarted in the past."

The rest of their party watched Harry cautiously, unsure of how to proceed. Twice Mrs. Weasley made a movement toward him only to stop short. Harry's gaze remained on the table. Ginny moved their still joint hands to sit in the line of his vision. She flipped his palm up and then used her other hand to gently stroke the sensitive skin over the pulse in his wrist. It was the same thing he did whenever he was trying to bring her back from painful memories. It worked. Harry turned and looked at her a lot of the pain leaving his expression.

He tilted his head to address the whole party but kept his gaze locked on her as he said. "I never, absolutely never, thought I'd say that I was thankful that Voldemort accidentally left a part of himself in me. But if our connection had presented itself earlier . . . Ginny would have been at the top of his hit list . . . or worse. If me being a Horcrux made both Ginny and I escape death and allowed us to be here now, together . . . how could I not be grateful."

Ginny watched him critically. Maybe this revelation would help him to, one day, cope with his feelings of being tainted. She knew he had only scraped the surface of how that fact had hit him emotionally. She had had a part of Voldemort in her too, but for weeks, not years, and certainly not so permanently. She knew and understood his feelings of . . . uncleanliness, to be touched by evil as they both had . . . it left one with certain questions. She knew this was a hurdle he would reach. She had already been preparing herself for it, knowing she was the only one he would consider letting help him and perhaps the only one who _could_. But maybe, maybe this new way of thinking would help him surmount the hurdle.

Charlie and Bill observed the two, both feeling twinges of regret. Who were they to question them? Those two, and Harry especially, had been through a lot. If they found solace in one another, who were they to get in the way of that? Yes, it was hard to see their baby sister in such a mature role, but perhaps it was time to face the music. Ginny was an adult, more grown and more mature then either of them had been at that age. Something about seeing her fight to defend the boy, man she loved, and then to be his support, offering him strength, as he struggled with issues no one should ever really have to deal with, really made them understand. To have seen Harry's desperation when he thought she was hurt, or worse, well there was nothing left to question. It may have taken them longer then most, but they finally understood. Harry and Ginny wouldn't be separated. To attempt to do so, would only risk their relationship with their sister.

"Don't worry, we'll figure this out," Ron said finally ending the silence. "Hermione hasn't needed to run off to a library in months, you'll make her so happy by giving her something to research." Hermione swatted his arm, though she had already began making a mental list of books to check.

With that they all turned their attention to their lunch, eager to fill up before another round of trials began.


	17. Consequences

Part XVII- Consequences

Harry was back in his seat at the witness stand in the courtroom, this time surrounded by Aurors, quite surprised that this day had not yet ended. Lucius's trial had finished ironically smoothly after the chaos of the morning. Several others gave testimony and after a lengthy deliberation the Wizengamot sent the first convicted Death Eater to jail.

Draco seemed torn by the result. Not at all surprised, but resigned, certain his fate would be the same. Draco had yet to make a serious effort to defend himself as his trial continued.

Eventually, the Wizengamot turned back to Harry. They had already questioned him about certain events, like Dumbledore's death, his capture at Malfoy manor, and Draco's actions during the final battle. Draco shifted in his seat uncomfortably, knowing all those years of hate between the two of them were about to catch up to him.

"Mr. Potter, do you think Mr. Malfoy deserves the same punishment as his father?"

Harry looked alarmed. "I . . . I don't think it's my place to say. I have given you the facts to the best of my knowledge . . ."

"Yes, you have said Mr. Malfoy here showed reluctance to complete the tasks he was given, but yet it has been shown that he always showed a certain affinity for the Dark Arts. Of all the witnesses here, you have known him the longest. Please offer us your impressions." Harry titled his head as he looked at the questioner imploringly.

"It appears Mr. Potter is reluctant to answer the question," Sally, newscaster from Wizard Wireless International whispered conspiratorially. "One can only guess as to why . . ." This finally burgeoned a response out of Harry.

"It's no secret that there is nothing but bad blood between Draco and me, but," he said dropping his eyes unable to look at his childhood enemy, "I do believe Draco's actions were an attempt to stay alive and keep his mother safe. He did the bare minimum necessary for a Death Eater. Yes, he was still trying to do me in to gain Voldemort's favor even in the last hour of the final battle, but he certainly wasn't alone in that . . . I think the position was forced on him. Just like with Dumbledore, I mean, he couldn't do it. He couldn't kill him. I think that speaks volumes." Harry's tone changed suddenly, it was difficult to give Draco the benefit of the doubt, after . . . everything. "While passively letting the evil continue around you and showing complete disregard for the well being of anyone other then himself and his family, will never be forgivable to me, it certainly can't be punishable by law. Otherwise, half the Wizarding population would be on trial. Dumbledore always wanted Draco to have a second chance, a chance to re-deal the hand he was given, maybe he was right. Like I said . . . I don't really feel it's my place to form opinions like that. Perhaps he could change . . . I really don't know."

Across the room, Hermione felt a rekindling of pride. Sometimes Harry elicited a very maternal response from her. She couldn't help her reaction to his show of forgiveness and maturity. She remembered a time not too long ago when Malfoy had been pure evil to him, the heir of Slytherin, a Death Eater out to cause as much harm as possible . . . and nothing more.

Ron could only roll his eyes at Harry. Of course Harry wouldn't condemn Malfoy to life in Azkaban, not when Malfoy had always shown such unwillingness. Draco may be opportunistic, but he simply didn't have the stomach to be a Death Eater.

The Wizengamot continued the questioning and then finally moved to a vote.

Ginny watched trying to stay focused on the proceedings while her mind kept wandering to the most pressing questions in her life. Ginny hoped the Wizengamot had some sort of way to deal with Draco . . . he probably couldn't change on his own. But, to basically end his life at eighteen . . . to assume he could never change and lead a productive life . . . well that was just sad.

All eyes in the courtroom alternated between the spokesperson in the Wizengamot and Draco. From his perspective, Harry could almost feel the surprise and relief that was so apparent in Draco's demeanor. Fines, rehabilitation courses, community service and probation would keep Draco busy for the next decade, but he would not be going to Azkaban. He'd be subjected to Priori Incantatem on a regular basis, and he would be helping rebuild the mess he never tried to prevent. He would be given a chance to go on with his life without passing on the things he had been taught to the next generation.

Everyone stood. The long day was finally coming to a close. Harry and the rest of their party exited seamlessly, ignoring the garrulous masses and followed the Aurors safely to an Apparition point.

*****

The sun was setting on another tiresome day at the Burrow. The weeks after the war had been hectic to say the least. Harry sighed deeply as he tightened his hold on Ginny's hand. They were walking alone outside across the Weasley property. It was as if a calm peaceful cloud had settled around them isolating them from the rest of the world. Harry turned to Ginny and smiled. In one look he conveyed all he couldn't say out loud. How much she meant to him, how perfect he found this moment and how . . . happy he was. Sure, there was still drama in his life, but with her and with the worst behind them, he was truly happy. His dreams of a family seemed not only possible, but within reach. But that didn't mean he was in any hurry to get married. Hard though it was to keep perspective, he and Ginny were young. Now was the time to enjoy being young. They were in no rush. And that feeling was the most powerful feeling in the world. To know that they were at the very beginning of . . . of their life together was heartening. Plus, the lack of urgency felt amazing. So much of the last couple years had been sprinting toward his goal, feeling like he had a very tenuous hold on life . . . It made him want to savor every moment now, but it also made him want to take every step to safeguard their future.

He pulled her close dropping a kiss to her forehead as they continued. Ginny couldn't stop the grin from sliding up her features at the casual caress, so simple, but which made her feel so . . . appreciated. Harry would never take her for granted. He knew too well how quickly one's loved ones could be taken away. She led him toward the broom shed, and without warning pushed him up against it. She leaned her entire body into his taking a moment to grin at him, before kissing him thoroughly. He responded in kind. He loved it when she took charge. She pulled back playfully keeping his lower lip trapped between her teeth, with a lingering massage across his chest, she turned sauntering away from him. He took a deep breath, head leaning back against the coolness of the shed. He brought his eyes back up in time to see Ginny's coquettish look over her shoulder. As she walked away toward the broom shed's door, he couldn't help his eyes from dropping to admire the seductive way her bum swayed. He wondered if she knew what she was doing to him . . . of course, she did.

She rejoined him, exiting the broom shed with two broomsticks in her hands.

"I know you are a bit out of practice, Potter, so I'll go easy on you," she said leaning in to whisper in his ear as she pressed the broom into his arms.

"Easy? Gin if you go easy on me I don't think our relationship could ever recover. We'd might as well end it now," he said solemnly. "Plus, I kind of like that you can beat me . . . well when you are at your very best at least . . ."

"Oh, I see," she retorted facetiously. "You know, Harry, if you really have a thing for dominating women, I'm sure I could ask Kingsley to borrow some of those restraints from the courtroom. I mean, anything for the Chosen One, right?"

That sent Harry roaring with laughter. Tears escaped his eyes as he gasped for breath.

"Oh, Merlin, the mental image of you asking Kingsley . . ." Ginny was laughing too, but more for Harry's strong reaction to her somewhat feeble joke than anything else.

Suddenly, Harry mounted the broom in his hands and sped off leaving Ginny in the dust. She cottoned on quickly and chased after him.

"Harry Potter! You cheat!" His laugh rang across the yard. They circled in a game of cat and mouse for a while before moving to hover near each other. Harry leaned across his broom and placed a blithe kiss to her mouth before she sped off and he took chase. They continued their fun until darkness cloaked them. Regardless of the day's start, at least it had ended in the best of ways.

****

Life at the Burrow began to pass rapidly. The trials took up a chunk of their day almost every day, but things had been so much simpler since they had started. Security seemed to have tripled, and the trials ran as smooth as could be expected, but Harry had started to notice the strain on the Ministry staff. There was no doubt that the Ministry had a lot to do. He and Ginny had been hesitant to try anything with their connection since the trial incident. Harry couldn't help but feel guilty, but Ginny wouldn't take any of it. When she started to notice how much he was avoiding using his magic she called him out on it.

"Harry Potter! Do you really think I may pass out if you use magic to clean your shirt up?" To see a wizard working that hard to scrub out a coffee stain from his dress shirt was just too much, it wasn't more than a simple spell to remove a stain!

"What!? I don't have those many trial appropriate clothes; I have to wear this one tomorrow," but that of course didn't fool Ginny.

"Harry, please," she said pulling his wand out of his pocket and handing it to him. "We have to figure this out; you can't go on avoiding using your magic and . . . it doesn't feel right when you don't . . . it makes me feel . . . achy. Don't you feel that way?"

"Argh!" Harry said throwing the shirt down. "Can't use magic, can't not use magic."

"So you were avoiding using magic," Ginny said happy he admitted it.

"Yes . . . you know I was, and I knew you knew. Maybe we are both a little stubborn," Harry said with a small smirk.

"Oh, wow," Ginny said in fake revelation. "Perhaps we are," she finished with theatrical shock, to which Harry responded with a real smile. She reached down and picked up the shirt before plopping down on his bed and held it out to him. He fixed the stain with one simple flick of his wand.

"Now, see, that wasn't so bad, now, was it?"

"Okay, okay, I know," he said conceding as he flopped down next to her. She cuddled into the crook of his shoulder.

"It's time to work this out. We'll have Hermione and Ron help again," she said.

"Actually I was thinking we might need to enlist Tiberius Ogden . . . "

It was that incident that led to the following morning; Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron were discussing a plan of action over breakfast when George came in.

"Another skull session!" he exclaimed coming through the front door of the Burrow. He continued straight to the fridge and pulled out the leftovers from last night's dinner. "What could you four possibly be doing now?" He asked gesturing to the way they were all leaning forward over the parchment in front of Hermione at the kitchen table.

Ginny rolled her eyes as George pulled a chair to the table effectively separating her and Harry and reached to grab Hermione's list.

"Ah, yes, that finagled magical supercharger you two have hooked up." He took in a mouthful of toast as he continued to skim the list. "All jokes aside, I think it's good you guys are trying to figure this out."

"Thanks, George," Ginny replied. "We just wanted to be prepared. Ogden is going to come work with us in . . . well he should be here any minute. How's the shop doing?"

"Great," he said managing to keep the smile on his face, if not in his eyes. "Too good actually . . . lots of business to be handled, half the managerial staff . . ." George's smile slipped and his expression grew vacant.

Ginny leaned into a sideway's hug, rubbing her big brother's back. "It's got to be hard . . . working without him," she said softly.

"Yeah . . . I guess I was so worried about it being sad to go back without him, I didn't even think about the work load . . . I probably should try to hire someone to help with the business side," George said reluctantly.

"We could all pitch in until you feel ready to do that," Hermione said. "You know, I could balance the account books for you or something."

Ron nodded. "Yeah we'll come by this week and see what can be done."

"No, you guys don't have to . . . I can handle it," George protested.

"Oh come on George, I could use some time away from the house and the Ministry. I want to come to the shop," Ron stated matter-of-factly. "Besides, the Hogwarts trials are in a couple of days, and Ginny doesn't want any of her brothers there. And she's got Mum on her side. I've got nothing to do that day!"

Ginny laughed. "Trust me, it's for the best."

"How come Harry gets to go?" George protested.

"Because I want him there and he understands the consequences if he can't keep his temper in check," Ginny added cheekily.

"Those who live in glass houses, Ginevra," Harry said teasingly.

"Huh?" Ron, George and Ginny exclaimed looking at him like he was nuts.

"Shouldn't throw stones," Hermione finished.

"Why would someone live in a glass house?" Ron asked incredulously.

"I didn't know that was a Muggle phrase." Harry said turning questioningly to Hermione.

"Yeah, well think about it," Hermione said. "If a wizard lived in a glass house, he'd make the glass unbreakable, wouldn't he?"

Half the table still looked confused. "Never mind," Harry mumbled.

"Anyway," Ginny said. "Until we figure this connection thing out, it's better if Harry and I are together when angry wizards could be around us."

George rolled his eyes. "Yes, nice work, Potter. Find a medical reason why you and my sister have to be attached at the hip," George said laying the sarcasm on thick. "So, what, now you and Ginny will be spending every hour of the day together. Oh, man . . . nights too?"

Just then an older man walked through the doorway, his face lit with its usual imperturbable glee.

"Actually, George, I'm afraid that the exact opposite is necessary," Tiberius said as though he had been a part of the conversation from the start.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Well, your brother here was implying that Harry found some way to ensure that no one can separate him and Ginny. But if somehow that was his plan, it's a bad one, because the only way we're going to figure out how to balance everything out is to separate them."

The table of young people stared at the man in front of them. He had this way of saying things so bluntly.

"Separate us?" Ginny asked suspiciously. "Did one of my brothers bribe you or something?"

Tiberius laughed shaking his head. "Oh no, is it likely they will?" he asked with nothing but amused curiosity in his tone.

"By the sounds of it, we won't need to," George responded laughing as Harry turned to give him a wry look.

"George," Mr. Weasley lightly admonished as he walked in, his wife right behind him. "Give them a break."

They all settled in around the table. Harry shifted uncomfortably before he felt a hand slide into his under the table. He turned to Ginny's understanding face. She knew how he felt; sure they were all here to discuss the magical implications of the connection she shared with Harry, but it felt like it was their relationship that was being analyzed and dissected by a whole group of people.

"So I've been thinking lots and lots about your intriguing magical link," Tiberius said jovially, oblivious to any discomfort in the room. "And as interesting it is and how adept it is at piquing curiosity, I think the backlash of the connection is more than a little problematic."

Harry nodded. "We more than agree. If the consequence of using this connection is such overwhelming weakness, then I'd say we shouldn't use it," Harry said turning to send Ginny a small but worried smile.

"The problem is, it happens so naturally that any defensive situation could cause us to accidentally use it," Ginny finished.

"And seeing as how things seem to always be around me," Harry said, his tone filling with its usual self-deprecation, "it seems impossible for me to avoid life and death situations."

"All of that does seem empirically true, and as such, I think the best way to manage the connection is to explore it until we develop means to control it," Tiberius said still smiling. "The issue is that imbalance we need to push to its limits, re-teach your bodies how to correct the balance on your own. I think the best way is to try to use a lot of magical energy today, test a few ideas and then you two should stay apart so we can observe the effects."

"For how long?" The question slipped out of Harry's mouth before he could stop himself. There was a spattering of laughter at the obvious reluctance in his tone. "I mean . . . I don't want to wait for one of us to pass out . . . it seems risky . . ."

"I think if we . . . you are paying attention, you will feel the effects long before you pass out . . ." Tiberius paused gauging the reluctance around him. "I think it's the best bet we have to figuring this out. If I'm right . . . well it's going to be like a teeter-totter, with the magic from the bond on one side and the magic from yourself on the other, the magic will fluctuate strongly up and down and with time the amount it fluctuates will lessen until it levels off. To restore the balance is going to be like conditioning your body . . . I don't think it will be easy . . ." Tiberius added reluctantly.

"But you think that it's how we are going establish control," Ginny finished.

"Yes, once this balance is restored, you'll be able to use the connection to your greatest advantage, without serious consequences."

"Then I guess there's not much choice," Ginny said turning to Harry, who nodded.

"Excellent! Let's go outside and get cracking!" Tiberius said laughing.

****

"Well, how do you two usually find the connection?" Tiberius asked from the circle of people surrounding Harry and Ginny. "Do you usually have trouble using the connection on purpose?"

Ron sniggered and Harry sighed, but Ginny stepped in. "Usually it happens naturally, but when there are too many other things distracting us, things other than using magic, it makes it harder to start the link. Also I think Harry is too worried about controlling it . . . I think," Ginny said turning to Harry, "that if we can just focus on each other and not the people staring at us," she said pointedly and Harry reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the people around him to focus on her face. He sighed.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, Harry. I know, it's awkward," she said only talking to him, though the others could undoubtedly hear her. She reached for his hand. "Do you feel that pull?" she asked.

He nodded, and then lowered his eyes again. "You're purposely avoiding it, aren't you?"

"I feel like I have to actively resist it, like if I let go there will be no stopping it."

"Harry, I need you to let go, I know you want to, you don't have to hold back . . . I can feel you pushing me out," at this his eyes snapped back up to her face.

Harry reached for her other arm interlocking their forearms and then sighed letting go of his restraint. Streams of lights flew instantaneously to him. Ginny gasped and staggered slightly, but Harry kept her up. His eyes were filled with alarm as he stared, panicking, into her eyes. He could feel it again, the power that was building up inside him. He began shaking.

"Harry! Harry! Harry . . . you have to push some back," Tiberius called to him. "You need to force the magic the other way."

Colors rolled over his neck to his face making his green eyes standout prevalently against the complementary background of the red lights beneath his skin.

"Harry, push it back," Tiberius said calmly. "Focus on Ginny."

Harry locked eyes with Ginny. Her eyes displayed nothing but trust, but her strength was visibly depleting and that gave him more than the proper motivation to make this work. He started easing, pushing, focusing the magic back to her. Suddenly, colors flew down his arms and up hers; the force tossed Ginny backwards in to the air and Harry fell to his knees. Ron reacted the fastest suspending Ginny midair and then Hermione helped him lower her slowly. As soon as she touched down, Harry pulled her to him.

"I'm so sorry!" Harry exclaimed searching her face for pain.

"Shh," she soothed. "Silly boy, I'm fine, but you're still shaking." She grabbed his hand. "Let's see if we can focus the energy to capture George," she said pointing to the furthest person from them. Harry nodded and focused and they easily tossed a net over George's head.

Harry huffed down next to Ginny on the grass letting his rapid breathing slow.

"So what happened?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "I thought you said it wasn't always like that!"

"It's not," Harry said. "I think . . . well, I think I was resisting."

"And I was pushing, hard."

"Ohhhh," Tiberius said cottoning on quickly.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Well, Harry could feel me trying, or more, he could feel my magic pushing strongly to join his, but he was worried about not being able to control it so he started subconsciously fighting against it."

Harry nodded. "So Ginny pushed harder and then we realized that it was me who was stopping us from accessing the link, so I let my guard down."

"And like a broken dam, the magic flowed like heavy rapids," Tiberius said smiling. "It powered into Harry too fast and then immediately began amplifying and was so big it completely disoriented him. But the flow was so strong they couldn't stop it from continuing and pushing against that current was probably really difficult, but once he forced the power the other way if flew rapidly. It's basic inertia!"

"Basic riiight," said Ron rolling his eyes.

"But this is a good sign, right?" Hermione asked and Tiberius's head bobbed in jovial agreement.

"Good? The force of magic I hit Ginny with was enough to send her to the roof!"

"It wasn't that high," Ginny mumbled.

"Well, Harry, the good thing is that what actions you two take, affects the link. You are able to affect what happens with the magic," Hermione said though Harry still didn't quite understand her apparent relief. "Now we know it's possible for you to control it; you forced the connection shut, and then purposely opened it. Now it is just a matter of time to learn to control it."

"Well, if I can learn to keep it shut, then we won't need to worry about it," Harry said with finality.

"I don't think that's a good idea, if you were panicked you may not be able to keep the connection closed, and trying to suppress it could make matters worse," Tiberius said.

"Harry," Ginny said. "Why are you so insistent on not using it?"

He looked at her incredulously. "It's not safe! I'm hurting you! Why are you so eager to explore it!?"

"Because. Because, Harry Potter, you get yourself into life threatening situations far too often for my taste. I _like_ that I am somehow able to help."

Harry sighed, reaching unconsciously for her hand. "Okay, you're right. We can't keep it shut, but we need to be careful."

"That's why we have six talented witches and wizards here to witness this," Ginny replied this comment seemed to bring their attention back to the people around them. As their eyes refocused, they noticed the piercing looks of those around them.

"What?" Harry said turning to help Ginny to her feet and then he saw it. A smooth, steady flow of lights was traveling between the two of them. The lights flowed back and forth in parallel paths and Harry could feel the strength rising. He breathed deeply taking in the sensation of growing power, the rate of growth was steady but not alarming.

"Okay," Tiberius said slowly, cautiously, as if they were a nesting dragon. "Now I want you both to try different spells at the same time. Ginny turn the barn blue. Harry, try to toss out the net." They nodded, inhaled together and then suddenly Ron was trapped in a magical net and the barn was a vibrant blue.

Tiberius smiled and clapped his hands together. "There's something I want to try now," he said practically bouncing with excitement. "Harry, turn the and move the net to Hermione, and, Ginny, I want you to try to levitate Ron; at the same time, I want you both the throw up that shield that you used at Hogwarts . . . I want you two to try and do both spells simultaneously, not sequentially," at their incredulous faces he said, "just try it, please."

"Okay," Harry said. He and Ginny drew in a breath together and the current of lights traveling on their arms increased. He squeezed her hand as a signal to go as he focused on his two separate tasks launching the shield at Hermione while forcing up the dome. Focusing on the two things at once was a lot easier than he expected. It was easy to both want to protect himself and Ginny and incapacitate an "assailant."

As they both focused, suddenly Ron was floating and Hermione trapped, but Harry and Ginny could only see this through the ever-changing lights of their shield.

"Okay," Tiberius said. "Hermione, try to break through the shield and, Ron, fight against Ginny's spell, try to get down."

Hermione began firing spells in rapid succession. Harry felt the stress on the net that trapped and redoubled his efforts. Ron began struggling flailing in the air, and firing counter-jinxes. The adults watched as the effort started to become visible in Harry and Ginny's stance. The casual intertwining of hands they had started with was now a tight clench, actively working to support one another.

Tiberius took out his wand and fired a spell at the dome that surrounded Harry and Ginny it visibly sagged under the assault. Harry was breathing hard, sweat broke out on his forehead as he and Ginny forced the strength of the shield back up while still maintaining control of Ron and Hermione. Suddenly the dome wavered, shaking violently, then Harry and Ginny both dropped gasping to the ground. The adults watched on anxiously in the moment of silence followed.

Harry turned his head to Ginny, his hands were resting on his knees. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I am."

Harry nodded and then, slowly, a smile spread across his face. "That was bloody awesome!" A wave of relieved laughter ensued. "We did multiple spells at once! That was crazy!"

"Yes, I wanted you to use more magic than the connection could generate. So right now you both are fatigued and your energy stores are weakened. I think you should separate for a while. If you stay near, your connection will replete your stores; it would be the fastest way to recover. But we need to condition your bodies to replenish on their own."

"So . . . " Harry said suddenly acutely aware of how much he wanted to touch Ginny and reestablish the bond.

"So no touching and we should separate you both for awhile."

Ginny's eyes met Harry's and they shared a sad smile. "We should separate you too as soon as possible . . ." Tiberius said interrupting their moment. Harry slowly got to his feet, still feeling a little shaky. He turned back to Ginny and started to move to give her a hand before stopping himself.

"I'm going to head to Grimmauld Place. I'm sure Kreacher would appreciate some company. I'll see you all at Umbridge's trial tomorrow."

The whole group responded affirmatively, but Harry was only watching Ginny. "You're not going to Apparate, are you?" she asked.

Hermione gave Ron a pointed look. "I'll go with you, Harry. We can hang out like old times."

"Oh, geez, boys night. Hermione, should we be worried about their shenanigans?" Ginny joked, but the worry was still in her eyes. Harry dipped his head into her line of sight.

"Relax I'll side-along with Ron. See you tomorrow."

Ron leaned in and kissed Hermione good-bye before grabbing Harry by the arm and Apparating them off to London."

*****

Harry and Ron beat the rest of the Weasleys to the trials the next day. Harry was glad that they had had a night to themselves, despite his original misgivings. The whole night had been devoid of any serious conversation besides Ron's repeated questioning of how Harry was feeling. In truth he'd been exhausted, and sore, as he had exercised too much. He woke up the next day feeling better physically, but in some ways he was more achy too. It seemed to him that his body had recovered from the amount of magic that had coursed out of him the previous day, but now was feeling the effects of next mixing with Ginny's.

They had agreed that Harry and Ginny would prolong their separation for the rest of the day as there were now definable symptoms of . . . withdrawal. So, when Ginny walked into the courtroom, all Harry could do was wave. She mouthed 'I love you' to him from across the room and he reciprocated, the ensuing reaction from the press corner was like a pack of Grindylows, writing or speaking frantically to convey the exchange. Ginny rolled her eyes prompting Harry to smile in reaction.

Several hours later, it was a rather vindicated Harry that followed Kinglsey to the Auror headquarters after Dolores Umbridge's sentencing for her work on the Muggle-Born registration committee. He couldn't help but imagine the community work she would be doing while being held in the new minimum security reformatory part of Azkaban. Apparently one of the work groups would be doing hard physical labor at the Hogwarts grounds, mostly to make it more suitable for the centaurs. Harry had almost laughed aloud when that was announced.

Kingsley had asked him to come meet some people and discuss the attacks, which offered Harry an effective method of staying away from Ginny. Perhaps he would go visit Teddy afterwards, but Ginny usually liked to go with him. What he really needed to do was to start thinking about his living situation. Eventually he would have to completely move out of the Burrow, but he wasn't quite sure he wanted to live at Grimmauld Place alone. It was so big, he wasn't used to all that space and it held so many ghosts, but maybe he would adjust to it if he gave it time.

Harry pulled his attention back to Kingsley as he ushered Harry into the Auror headquarters. It was even more hectic than the first time he had seen it. Many stopped what they were doing to greet Harry. Harry could see the exhaustion in their eyes even before noticing the newly erected cots surrounded by light and sound barrier charms. It seemed Aurors had taken to sleeping in the office instead of returning home.

Kingsley shuffled Harry into a conference room. Along the walls was a stream of pictures and annotated dates, a timeline Harry realized. As he walked close to inspect, he saw that it started with what Harry had always considered an end.

"Harry Potter defeats Tom Riddle a.k.a. Lord Voldemort."

Next, down the timeline was the attack at The Hogwarts Memorial. Beneath that was a list of facts of the attack including a list of suspects, and the steps taken to avoid future breaches in security.

"Mr. Potter, we're so glad you could come by to speak with us."

"Oh, uh, just Harry's fine," he said shaking the offered hand of the Auror in front of him.

"This is Gawain Robards. He became head of the Auror department when Scrimgeour moved on to be the Minister," Kingsley offered in explanation.

"As you can see, we are working on the possible connection between the Hogwarts incident and the attack in China. I have to say the attack in China has been very troubling. It suggests that the dark movement is more organized then we imagined, much more so than the first war. It seems Voldemort left some sort of infrastructure to his regime so that it did not collapse like the first time."

"I highly doubt that Voldemort purposely planned for this," Harry edged in. "He was so overly confident in his belief of his infallibility. He would never have prepared his followers for the event of his death because he was simply too positive that the steps he had taken to circumvent mortality were fool proof this time around. He didn't realize that his immortality was being challenged until it was too late. He truly thought he was invincible. If there is some sort of hierarchy or organized factions . . . Voldemort did not prepare them for his absence . . ."

Robards regarded him a moment taking in his words. "It is insight like that we were hoping for . . . so do you think that there is any organization to these attacks or are we talking individual's who are lashing out . . .?"

Harry observed the two men before him, they seemed honestly interested in his opinion. During the war people had often treated him this way, but now . . . he had more time to feel awkward about it. It was easy for him to take charge in a crisis, but this . . . would take some getting used to, finally he offered his opinion.

"I think that it's quite possible that these different factions were all fed the same propaganda, and they all act for the same screwed up goals. But it is also possible that they have a way to communicate and organize. I think Voldemort's old followers are reaching a dangerous level of desperation it would make sense that they cling to the first available leader . . . Some Death Eaters are opportunists, they jumped on Voldemort's bandwagon because they were certain he would be the winning side . . . Now they can either try to deny everything and rejoin society or some may see it as an opportunity to be the new . . . tyrant."

"That makes sense," Robards responded. "We've been fairly successful in rounding up many of the most wanted dark wizards . . . But the Chinese Ministry has been hearing whispers of more nefarious activity. The Wizarding community I think, is really looking to the English Ministry to set the example on how to deal with these ill intentioned groups. We just have not been able to establish a connection between the attack at Hogwarts and the one in China . . ."

"So you are considering that the two attacks were unrelated and it just happened that both were against Harry?" Kinglsey asked.

"Well, yes, that has to be a possibility. As sad as it is to say, Harry, I think you still qualify as 'Undesirable No. 1' to a large amount of people." The business-like tone dropped and he smiled at Harry. His smile completely changed the impression he gave off. He went from strict and foreboding to friendly and approachable. "But if you keep saving the day in front of all of the Wizarding world's press I dare say, at least your fan club will be greater than the amount of people who want to see you dead."

Robards and Kingsley shared a laugh as Harry just shook his head. "I'm not convinced that's a good thing . . ." Harry mumbled sending the two men into hysterics.

"Anyway . . . back to business," Robards finally responded sobering up, though he was unable to stifle his yawn. "We can't seem to discern their true goals. I mean what was the purpose of attack at the Hogwarts Memorial? Did they really think they would be successful with all of the Aurors and Order members there? All that did was reveal to us who was at large and remind us to remain vigilant."

"It did more than that . . . " Harry said darkly. "It was an open sign of rebellion . . . a direct contradiction to the celebration of the newly formed peace. . . It showed security was no way near foolproof."

"You think it was a way to rally Dark wizards!?"

Harry shrugged, his face remaining grim. "I don't know. Either it was Death Eaters blinded by anger, desperate to kill me or unthinkingly prove that they were not yet defeated . . . or it was a way of letting others know the fight was not over . . . that those who laid on Voldemort's side were not alone, that they were even strong enough to break through the English Ministry security . . . "

"Whether intentioned or not, it definitely did send that message," Kingsley responded.

"We're still left with the same fundamental question. Are these people acting out in anger or frustration, or is there some underlying scheme? We would be much more effective at stopping them if we could answer that question. It is the key to stopping the threat."

"That's how it has always been with Death Eaters, though, right?" Harry asked rhetorically. "Either they're crazy, almost desperate in their need to cause pain, or their really cunning . . . scheming the best way to wreak havoc."

"You know," Robards interjected, "we've had people spend years profiling Death Eaters, analyzing their characteristics so as to better identify and understand them and they basically came to the same conclusion you did . . ." Robards continued to pensively stare at Harry. He couldn't deny how much he wanted the young wizard in the Auror office, but he felt almost guilty for wanting the boy to do more than he had already done.

"Sometimes experience counts for so much more than training . . ." Kingsley said leadingly. Harry looked between the two men wondering what he was missing.

"Harry . . ." Robards said cautiously. "I, well I want you to know that if you still have an interest in being an Auror, well we'd really love to have you working for us . . . Now I don't want you to feel like you have to . . . Honestly, if you wanted to escape to some random beach and be anonymous the rest of your life, I wouldn't blame you, but . . . we could really use your help."

Harry was taken aback a second. When they asked him to come talk about the attacks against him he wasn't exactly expecting a job offer.

"You're hesitant. I understand. Really. I feel bad even asking . . ." Robards said to fill the void.

"Sorry," Harry said shaking his head. "I was just surprised . . . I don't even have my NEWTs."

"Well, Harry," Kingsley said in an exaggeratedly patient voice. "I think your experience outweighs any exam scores . . . I think you deserve some special circumstances."

"No. I don't want any special treatment," Harry objected.

"Does this mean you'd be interested in working here?"

"As an Auror? Yes," Harry said. "It's the only job I've ever imagined doing; well, apart from fulfilling that stupid prophecy."

"So it's just a matter of fulfilling the training requirements. We can work something out . . . Maybe you could work through your training? Finish your NEWTS while still helping us out?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well we really need to develop the files on the Death Eaters at large to help us find them and to identify them when they are in disguise, like signature spells or combat styles, etc. . . . and security. Your instincts would be invaluable in the field, Harry. We don't have to start big right away, but you're already been acting as a sort of consultant."

Harry laughed. "Who'd have thought that years of breaking rules and escaping a psycho obsessed with killing me would make me qualified to be a 'consultant.' As far as security goes, I have to be careful that having me around doesn't attract dark wizards to what I'm protecting."

Robards and Kingsley laughed darkly. "Yes. That would be counterproductive," Robards said. "Honestly, according to the most recent attacks, the people that need protecting are the ones closest to you."

"Story of my life," Harry mumbled. "Thankfully the people closest to me are pretty apt at defending themselves," Harry said, feeling a momentary pang for Ginny. This was really the longest time he'd been away from her since defeating Voldemort. It was weird to realize how much he depended on her persistent presence in his life.

"So . . . are you working on figuring out how to control what you and Ginny have?"

"Yeah, it's slowly going," Harry said not inviting further inquiry.

There was a knock at the door. "Enter," Robards said. Harry couldn't stop his hand from reaching toward his wand. To some it may seem said that Harry's life had taught him to consider everyone an enemy until proven otherwise, but to Robards it was another indication that Harry had all the right instincts of a promising Auror.

Through the door came Mockridge Cuthbert, Pierre Navier and some unknown witch.

"Oh yes, Harry," Robards began. "Mockridge wants to discuss the Gringotts security plans with you. And Kingsley mentioned a potential press conference?"

"Yes, Ginny suggested that maybe the press would be less intrusive if I let them ask me questions and gave them some answers instead of let them make things up . . . I figured it'd be worth of shot."

"Ahh, yes, I suppose this idea was prompted by the latest headlines, 'Chosen One's Chosen One: Can She Handle the Stress of Dating the most Desirable Man Alive?' that came have after she passed out in the courtroom."

"Or perhaps by the more recent: 'Harry Potter: Fights for Good, but Does He Love the Evil?' Kingsley said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Some of the less reputable new sources have questioned if you've been carrying a flame for Draco Malfoy," Kingsley explained as Harry's face contorted in disgust.

"I thought the pregnancy rumors were bad enough," Harry replied. "Ginny has a lot of older brothers."

"Well," Robards said laughing. "Navier is our press secretary you should work with him to get it arranged."

"Oh," Harry said feeling reluctant. "Actually, Ginny and Hermione seemed to have a lot of ideas for how to handle this, let's wait to talk it over with them."

"Okay," Navier said. "Let's Floo them over now."

"Oh, uh," Harry began, then was suddenly dizzy, he shook his head trying to focus. "Um they're busy right now," he finished evasively.

"What? Are they shopping or something," Navier scoffed. "Can't they spare a few minutes."

Kingsley looked at Harry inquisitively. "We're sort of in the middle of a, uh . . . test." Harry responded quietly. "We'll set up a meeting soon," Harry said raising his voice to address Navier, looking up to meet three sets of suspicious eyes.

"Excellent," Mockridge said. "Care to peek at the updated Gringotts security plans? We adjusted them from your previous suggestions."

"Oh, uh, sure," Harry replied leaning to look over the plans that were rolled out on the conference table. He felt another wave of dizziness. He looked up at the clock. When was the last time he ate? Lunch wasn't that long ago. Harry began carefully observing the plans looking for weaknesses. He shared a few insights with Mockridge and continued to stare analyze the many layered plan. As he did a handful of Aurors came in to discuss intel on a Death Eater they were tracking. Harry could hear them discuss whether to bring the Death Eater in immediately or track him to see if he led them to others.

"Perhaps you could come to Gringotts and walk through the security measures with the Goblins?" Mockridge asked. "They are very eager to enhance security and really want you in specific. They're more than determined to make Gringotts the impenetrable safe-house they always felt it was. They are pretty set on getting your input. . . they say you owe them."

Harry looked guilty. After all, the Goblins had a point. In fact he probably owed them more than his help. "Sure, actually I have some bank business to attend to myself."

"Great, perhaps next week?"

"Sure—" Harry suddenly leaned forward on the table his head in his hands, his face contorted in pain. He could feel his body shaking, he lifted his head to see his hands trembling. His breathing became erratic. Eyelids fluttering he struggled to stay conscious and figure out what was happening.

"Harry?"

"Harry, are you okay?"

Harry stood up trying to regain his orientation. He stumbled a bit when his knees buckled. He reached for his wand desperately trying to determine how he was being attacked.

"Harry!" Kingsley yelled as the fingertips of his hand became alit with speeding colors. His fingers grew a bright red as if the light was somehow being trapped there. Feeble sparks emitted from his wand. But the distraction was enough to force back the panic for a moment. In that moment of clarity he realized what was happening.

"Ginny!" Harry gasped out.

A commotion could be heard outside the door of the conference room. Harry sensed exactly what it was and stumbled toward the door wrenching it open. George and Ron came in supporting Ginny, who appeared to be struggling to stay upright. Hermione was only a few steps behind.

"Kingsley," Hermione said trying to keep a cool head. "Please, get everyone else out of here." Kingsley began ushering them all out as Harry reached desperately for Ginny. They wrapped their forearms as their foreheads fell together. Immediately warm colored lights circled their arms wrapping from their hands to elbows repeatedly as if binding them and the lights traveled up to their head circling them like a halo before falling to wrap the rest of their bodies. Once the two were completely surrounded by lights, the glow held for only a couple of seconds before floating off like a cloud and then snaking into the ceiling.

Both Harry and Ginny seemed strong and relieved. Only Kingsely and Robards of the Ministry personnel remained. Harry pulled Ginny into his arms. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I was at the joke shop with Ron and Hermione, in George's flat. I was fine, maybe a little dizzy, but I figured it was from all the new perfume products George has been testing out. Then suddenly,"

"A headache?"

"Yes," Ginny said understanding they had had the same experience.

"I guess we need to call Tiberius."

"26 hours," Hermione said quietly, looking at the clock on the wall. She looked more than a little worried. "That's all it took, 26 hours. What would have happened if we couldn't get you two together as fast as we did?"

The responding silence was answer enough.


	18. Don't Say Sorry Because I'm Hurt

Updated Summary

After the final battle, the Wizarding world wasted no time in turning to Harry for help. Harry found himself thrust into a leadership role immediately, and surprised himself at having a great deal of natural inclination to that role. Days after the final battle, at the Hogwarts memorial, masked Death Eaters attacked Harry. Harry and Ginny defended themselves with a strange bit of magic. Tiberius Ogden later revealed what was happening (Ch. 8). After Fred's funeral, Harry decided to go to every service that people asked him to attend. At Collin Creevey's funeral, Harry's lack of sleep and proper nutrition for the last week caught up with him. Ginny comforted him and helped him back to The Burrow, but not before Rita Skeeter captured some juicy photos.

Working with the Ministry, arranging travel to Australia and trying to figure out how Harry and Ginny's connection worked, all preceded their trip to find Hermione's parents. The four were attacked when they arrived in China. Harry and Ginny's connection allowed them to capture one of the attackers. With the help of the Chinese Ministry they discover that multiple cells of the Dark Order were fostered by Voldemort and his English followers. After recovering from the events in China, the four went on to reconnect Hermione with her parents.

A series of trials commenced with Harry and company at the center. Harry and Ginny learned that as their connection grew their ability to control it decreased. They began working on learning to control it and access the strength it lends without causing Harry or Ginny debilitating weakness.

Characters you may not know or remember:

Pierre Navier (OC)- Ministry Press Secretary, present immediately after the Final Battle, constantly annoying Harry.

Tiberius Ogden – Old friend of Dumbledore, helped Harry and Ginny attempt to figure out what is happening with their magic.

Mockridge Cuthbert- Ex-head of the Goblin Liaison office, newly appointed to the task of overseeing the rebuilding of Gringotts and reestablishing security there and at the Ministry.

Amanda Rickey (OC)- Magical Law Office investigator, niece of Tiberius Ogden.

Sewlyn, Scabbior, Dolohov- Death Eaters at large, attacked Harry and Ginny at the Hogwarts memorial.

Jiajun- attacked Harry and company in China.

Part XVIII-Don't say sorry because I'm hurt...

The air was bitter, to say the least, as it struck against something this area never saw, a human face. No amount of layers could protect the risky traveller from the true cold that bite deep to the bone. The cold would have been a serious health risk to a normal human, but the group that had been gathering would be described in no part of the world as normal.

With no flash or loud noise, but instead a simple pop, the person disappeared. The wind made quick work of her footprints and it was as if she had never come.

"Whose brilliant idea was it to meet here?" she yelled her thick Chinese accent revealing her identity before the spin of her apparition had even been completed. She now found herself inside a domed shelter. She sneered at its ice walls as she tried to allow the magically catalyzed warmth to fill her. She ignored all company; save two, the rest were seated in rigid back chairs circling the source of the magical fire. But the two she addressed stood in their haughty English way surveying those seated like their new minions.

"Sit down, Lien," one said dismissively.

"We gather here because there are no apparition wards here because there are no settlements on this continent," Dolohov said with the intent purpose to prove how idiotic her question was.

With as much dignity as she could manage, she settled into a chair.

"Let's move this along," the other Englishman said. "Some of us still have pretences to keep up and do not wish to have their cover blown."

"Quite," Dolohov responded. "We are all assembled now anyways. You have been called here for one express purpose," he said allowing his voice to resonate in their shelter. "We had within our grasps the lives we all wanted. The lives we had earned. We had taken back our world from those of impure blood who wish to taint our magic, and we had stopped allowing those filthy Muggles to dictate how we lived. We are the superior, and for a brief period of time we were allowed to act like it..." He let that sink in, knowing that uniting them was their only chance. "And then it was taken from us, the whole life we deserved! And who took it from us?"

"Potter," sneered out the majority of mouths while the rest chose to merely spit in disgust.

"Yes, the elusive Harry Potter. Our Dark Lord paved the way for us. He was the first to show true cunning and fight for what we are owed. We owe it to our fallen master to earn his revenge. With Potter and his little friends out of the picture, we will squash all hope, a thing they rely much too heavily on. With him gone, re-establishing the order of things will be easy. The majority of their older skilled fighters are dead, take out Potter and we can put everything back in its place. But this time will be different; this time the English Ministry is only step one."

The fervour and agitation grew equally filling the small igloo. Fervour for the end he promised and agitation, restlessness at the idea of going after Harry Potter. He did defeat the darkest wizard of all time, lucky or not. No one was stupid enough to consider him an easy mark.

At their silence the two Englishmen smirked at each other.

"You are thinking that this alone is no easy task. You are worried that this task will be asked of you," the man still disguised by a heavy hood and mask. "You are worried that this task would be your end."

"Harry Potter doesn't scare me," hissed Scabbior.

"You are then a fool," came a voice from the circle. "Even if he was completely unskilled, the crowd that surrounds him is nothing to be scoffed at."

"This," Dolohov continued, "is why we have called this meeting."

"I have found a way to get to Mr. Potter. I have discovered his true weakness. I know how to take him down."

*****

Her hand was so warm in his, so comforting, even as he began to pant under the strain of maintaining their dome. He couldn't help but be a bit distracted they barely let him see her at all this week except for this stuff.

"Harry," came her soft voice. "Focus."

Three faux attackers approached from his side of their dome and began trying to break their way through...Harry closed his eyes, somehow able to sense their movement better when he relied on the magic and not his sense of sight. With some effort he imagined three outcomes as he pushed the magic out at the attackers.

Hermione froze, Ron levitated and Mrs. Weasley found herself floating into the Burrow's kitchen through the open front door.

"Harry!" reprimanded Tiberius.

Harry sighed and dropped the shield and Ron; and turned quickly to Ginny, who was clenching her head.

"You still pulled magic from Ginny, leaving her weak and unable to defend herself. If someone had managed to get through that shield..." Harry was ignoring him and reached for Ginny; pulling her tight into his arms, she rested her head against the plane of his chest breathing him in. "Harry! Are you listening to me?"

"Yes," Harry said wearily. "I understand. Don't think I did it on purpose. I tried to only build my magic from the connection and not pull it from Ginny... but it's like our magic fused; it would only come as one massive heap of power."

By then Mrs. Weasley had made her way back out to the yard. "Harry, are you trying to tell me something?"

"Huh?"

"You pushed me all the way into the kitchen. If you just said you were hungry that would work too."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I-I didn't mean... I wasn't trying to..." Harry scratched behind his ear self-consciously.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at the boy. In some ways he had changed so much since the war. She couldn't help think Ginny was a big part of this. He had a lightness about him that she had never witnessed. But in some ways he was still that shy little boy always so polite when he visited. Mrs. Weasley headed back to the kitchen regardless. Confident that Harry and Ginny would work it out, they just had to.

"I'm sorry," Harry said turning to Ginny. She had to dip down to meet his gaze as it had fallen to the floor.

"Harry, this is not your fault..." she said somewhat exasperatedly.

"I know... this whole tendency of me always taking from you and basically making you sick...and you always giving...well it's giving me a bit of a complex."

Ginny laughed in his face at that one. Harry looked taken aback. He found himself unable to not smile in response. Her whole face was alit with amusement. Harry stumbled back a bit at her playful shove.

"Harry Potter! Selfish?! Seriously!? You are pathologically selfless," she said laughing as Ron and Hermione joined in. "Really, Harry," Ginny said falling in close to Harry, so only he could hear her. "You can feel free to take all you need from me. I am more than willing and able to help you carry the burden you won't let go," she finished placing her hand directly over his heart.

Harry looked taken aback. He thought he was keeping that better hidden. "Thank-you," he said kissing her softly. "I'm dealing with the guilt...it's just slow going..." She held his eyes analyzing how accurate this statement was.

"Going to Gringotts will help..." he continued.

"Gringotts? What about Gringotts?" Ron asked ignoring Hermione swat at his arm for interrupting their moment. But it brought them both back to reality.

"Yeah," Harry said absently. "I told Mockridge Cuthbert-"

"Wait, who?"

"Ministry wizard responsible for all the rebuildings and Goblin relations... The one who keeps sending us the security plans to review..." Harry said waiting for a look of recognition to appear on Ron's face. "He asked me to go to Gringotts to go through things with the goblins directly. Apparently they want the opinion of someone who has broken in before. And frankly I owe them. We trashed that place...and its reputation."

"Oh," Ron responded. "But it was wartime, we were helping everyone. Doesn't that get us off the hook?"

"The damages still have to be fixed and paid for by someone... It's not the goblins fault and it's not like Death Eaters are lining up to repair the damage."

"Well, we'll go with you," Ron responded, but Hermione was certain this was out of concern for the look on Harry's face and not for guilt over their destruction of goblin property.

Harry shook his head. "Didn't you and Hermione tell George you would go over tomorrow?" At their collective nod, Harry continued. "It's okay. Really," Harry said thinking of his banking plans.

"Hey, um, kids," Tiberius interjected. "Or, um, young adults?" Harry chuckled at Tiberius's haplessness. "I think we should try some new stuff with the link and then, Harry, you and Ginny should separate for a while..."

"Again? We have only been together for these tests all week," Ginny complained thinking that this left Harry alone to go to Gringotts.

"I'll be fine," he said unknowingly reading her thoughts. "Really, there'll be an entourage of Ministry people."

"It's been getting better, right?" Tiberius asked. "You've been recovering faster, haven't you?"

"Yes, Tiberius. If you think we should keep doing this, then I trust you," Ginny said placating that somewhat sensitive old man.

"Well I think all of the practising is starting to pay off, but we need to continue on this same path. I think we may be getting closer to the point where your bodies can replenish their own magic, and being apart won't be so debilitating, but we haven't been working on accessing the connection while you are physically separated."

"Is that what you think we should try now?" Ginny asked.

"I would rather like to..."

"Tiberius, are you available this evening?" At his nod Harry continued. "Ginny is testifying at the trials today and I'd like to be able to go with her. Could we continue this after?"

"Excellent idea! As a matter of fact, I need to go as well," he said laughing to himself.

"Doesn't that just give you all new insight into our Wizengamot?" Ron mumbled. Hermione swatted his arm but laughed despite herself.

* * * *

Harry couldn't help but feel a reversed sense of déjà-vu. Here he was seated exactly where Ginny had been the last time he had testified and she was at the witness stand. Thankfully, she was seated next to Neville. He watched her carefully as she smoothed back her already smoothed hair and wrung out her hands...she was nervous. He was trying not to be the overprotective boyfriend and do exactly what he wanted: Go down there and drag her out. He knew she could handle this, but that didn't mean she should have to.

He was surprised that there was still a large amount of press here, though he knew he shouldn't be. But honestly, did they have to be so obvious? They were practically falling out of their box trying to crane a look at him from where he was adjacent to them. He rolled his eyes, staring straight ahead.

Ginny caught his look and couldn't help but laugh lightly. At Neville's questioning glance, Ginny nodded her head toward the press box. "It's just that they are practically falling over themselves to get a glimpse at Harry and all he's doing is rolling his eyes at them. I would love for a picture of Harry annoyed and eye rolling to appear in the papers. It'd be a bit of a contrast to all the pictures lately." At Neville's confused look, Ginny continued. "You know the pictures that cast Harry as some sort of valiant hero whose stance at any moment is the perfect pose for his likeness to be cast in marble," Ginny said grinning.

Neville laughed in response. "I know exactly which ones you're talking about, but I have to say, at first I couldn't understand Harry's dislike of fame...I mean there are certain benefits. But..." Something across the room stole Neville's attention. Ginny laughed when she saw the young witches winking and waving at him. "Sorry what was I saying?"

"Something about...benefits?" Ginny said raising one eyebrow at him.

"Well, uh, I've uh realized that, well, those girls are only interested in being able to tell other people, uh, well just the fame by association thing..."

Ginny schooled her face and let him continue before she burst out laughing again.

The sound sent a wave a relief through Harry. At least Neville was there with her. Mrs Weasley was seated to his right and placed a gentle hand on the knee that he hadn't realized was bouncing insistently.

"Sorry," he mumbled, but couldn't help fidgeting in his seat and couldn't help his growing agitation. He didn't exactly have a great track record in this room.

"Harry...It's going to be fine. She'll be fine." She smiled at him when his sceptical eyes met hers. She couldn't help but think she was looking at her future son-in-law and thought she would never tell him she felt like she was looking into a crystal ball. One day, she was quite certain, Harry would have the same agitated but under much happier circumstances. On that day her only daughter would give her a grandchild. She couldn't help how much that thought excited her.

The happy feeling that had filled Mrs. Weasley was suddenly siphoned out of her as a group of Aurors led the defendants into the room. She, along with dozens of other mothers, bristled. The trial today was filled with Hogwarts parents desperate for retribution on the horrible people who had hurt their children when they were away from their parents' protection.

Neville and Ginny alone were the only Hogwarts students at the witness stand. They were joined by a slew of Hogwarts teachers, Professor McGonagall amongst them. The Aurors in the room seemed on high alert. The tension in the room had not been this thick since the very first trial. At the defence stand there were two of the most hated Death Eaters Alecto and Amycus Carrow. The people who had turned the British community's cherished school into a source of torment for their children. Harry knew the information that was about to be shared was only going to make things worse.

Several hours later, Harry's instincts proved right yet again. McGonagall was giving her testimony, the last of the Hogwarts professors to do so. Succinct and to the point as it was, it struck deep into the hearts of the courtroom's attendants.

"We tried," she said. "But the Carrows' sadistic intentions still reached the students. The detentions grew numerous and targeted some students specifically. They kept me out of most of them, but I heard exactly what happened-"

"You may only testify to what you witnessed directly," an elderly member of the Wizengamot said wearily. Harry wondered how many times she had said that in the past hundred years.

"I can testify to what I saw amongst the students," McGonagall bristling slightly in annoyance at being told what she can and cannot say. "Students were terrified of the Carrows. Injuries grew numerous. Madame Pomfrey could barely keep up with the influx of students. Some stopped coming at all...afraid of drawing more attention to themselves."

"Perhaps it's time to shift to our student testimonies of exactly what occurred in those detentions," Amy Richards interjected noting the growing agitation of a section of the Wizengamot. She knew them all too well. The eldest members hated anything that did not follow protocol directly and allowing hearsay to pass as fact was only going to taint the case.

She turned to Neville after thanking the professor for her testimony. They had agreed that he would lay the foundation of student life. Tension was thick as he described the violence and slowly led the courtroom through the events that led to him going underground to preserve his life.

"Thank-you," Ms. Richards said before turning to Ginny. She knew this would be difficult for her and that the press and Wizengamot would at their most vulture-like if purely out of curiosity to the mystery surrounding the witch before her. "Miss Weasley," she started measuredly, "You were also a target to some of the more brutal treatment, correct?"

"Yes, I did serve quite a number of detentions before the Easter holiday, during which my family decided it was safer for me to not return to Hogwarts."

"Why was it that you were a so-called target, Miss Weasley? We're you a cause of disorder?" This question came from the same infuriating man that had challenged Harry's testimony on Lucius.

"I was a source of great trouble for the Carrows," Ginny responded evenly. "I expressed disagreement when they described Muggles as filthy animals that need to be taught their place. I explained to the first years what Hogwarts was supposed to be like and corrected the serious amount of mis-information they were receiving. I set people loose from the dungeons and helped them get out of detention. I also defaced school property and broke into the Headmaster's office."

Ms. Richard's pulled her lips into her mouth in attempt to hide her mirth. You had to admire Ginny's spike. "Do you believe that this is why you were targeted?" She asked.

"No..." Ginny answered reluctantly. "The treatment in detention spiked my action, not vice versa..."

"So then, why were you targeted?" An older wizard asked in a fair tone.

"Well...I'm a pure blood, but come from a long line of blood-traitors and have several members of my family quite actively involved in the resistance...and....well there were some who believed that I had a connection to Harry, Harry Potter."

"And did you?"

"Not at the time...communication was a little difficult for anyone who wanted to stay alive..."

"Let's stay on topic. Ginevra, can you describe the detentions you served..." Ginny turned her head to look straight at the Carrows as anger and memory flooded her in equal proportions.

"The Carrows learned quickly to first incapacitate those like myself who were less likely to succumb to their demands. A handful of us reached the point where fighting, and showing others our resistance to their ways was more important than leaving detention pain-free. For us, detention always started by being restrained in the dungeons. My hands would be chained to the ceiling so that my feet could barely brush the ground..." Ginny's voice had run cold. Mrs. Weasley knew her daughter was in defence mode, and while the snarkiness was gone from her voice, her strength was still the steel beneath her words.

"Often the Carrows would have other students perform the Cruciatus curse on those being punished. For some, being given this task was as much of a punishment as being the recipient of the curse... but others seemed to relish the task. When it came to me specifically, the Carrows took a more integral role. They'd torture and taunt...thankfully I had long since learned to fight the Imperius curse. This may have saved my dignity, but their inability to force me to act a certain way or to force me to proclaim my devotion to Voldemort or my....hatred of Harry. They were quite fixated on trying to get me to tell others that Harry was hiding to save his own skin..." It was then that she lifted her eyes from the floor and raised them to Harry. She could see the strength he willed to her in his eyes. He was there for her and that made all the difference in the world.

He nodded his head, telling her it would be alright. She breathed in sharply as she felt his presence fill her. His rage hit her first, but faded quickly and all that was left was a feeling of support stronger than if Harry was whispering in her ear that he knew she was strong enough for this. It fortified her and now was not the time to question where the feeling and the strength came from.

"After they were certain I had felt a sufficient amount of pain for my alleged crimes, they would call a select group of students in..."

"Which students?" Ms. Richards asked knowing the answer.

"Male students who expressed loyalty to the Dark Movement," she said tearing her gaze from Harry and forcing it onto Ms. Richards before looking up to the Wizengamot and listing the students in the group, including Crabbe and Goyle. "The Carrows would leave then... In the beginning they would say just don't kill her...but that directive did not last forever," she swallowed convulsively as the press seemed to lean in with perverse intrigue.

"What happened then..."

"They would ask me a lot of questions and accuse me of horrible things...They wanted to know what I knew about Harry...mostly they were just taunting me I think. I doubt they believed I actually knew anything about Harry's whereabouts and plans or things would have been much worse..."

"Worse than...?" A Wizengamot began but at the suddenly pained expression on Ginny's face left the question unfinished. Harry stood unable to help himself, but Ginny just shook her head infinitesimally at him and Mrs. Weasley tugged on his sleeve gently until he sat again, if the stiff way he was perched could be described as sitting.

"They were... inappropriate, very suggestive and had rather wandering hands...But for them it was about teaching me my place and my utter lack of control. It did not go any further than that...A few tried to kiss me...but quickly learned that would only end with me spitting on them or biting them. I fought...hard. Looking back on it...Snape managed to walk in most of time and set me free. In retrospect he helped keep me...relatively safe," she said it all quietly partly because there was no need to speak loudly as a pinprick could have been heard in the hall.

The questions grew painfully specific and Ginny found herself grateful that she had asked her brothers not to come. She would have tried to keep Harry out of it, but knew how much that would upset him, and frankly she...needed him. She stuck to the facts, and answered the questions succinctly even as she could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment and unjustified shame. She explained the role the Carrows played in the 'detentions', both the taunting and the goading.

Harry's whole body was tensed. His teeth were locked together painfully as he attempted to rein in his growing anger. Ginny's eyes flashed to his and the pain them broke something in him. His anger was irrelevant as it didn't help Ginny at all. He forced himself to uncoil and focused on his positive feelings for her and his amazement at the strength she possessed.

Ginny's eyes closed as she felt consumed by Harry's love for her and his awe at her strength. She met his eyes and sent her love back to him. When his eyebrows contracted in confusion, she knew he too had felt the strange foreign emotion. Then realization dawned...They were accessing their connection from a distance.

Ginny couldn't help but think this meant that at least today's experiment was over. They had re-established their link. There was no real reason to remain apart for the day. A part of her rejoiced at the thought, while the other worried about their unconscious linking.

It was finally over and Amy Richards was relieved. Ginny had done it. The boys she had named would be charged, but after this testimony Ms. Richards knew they would simply accept the punishment. They had no hope of a defence.

The Wizengamot filed out to discuss the sentencing and the crowd began to mingle. Harry hurried out of his seat and flew down the stairs, pulling Ginny into his arms immediately. He sighed relishing in their closeness, not even considering the multitudes that were watching them.

"You were so brave," he said into her ear.

"I just told the truth," she said but her voice caught. Harry bent down slightly to catch her eyes.

"That takes strength," he said placing a chaste kiss to her lips. There was something else in his eyes though something he was trying to hide from her. She narrowed her eyes at him in response.

"Harry...what?" He bit his lip as if trying to hold back the words before they burst forth.

"I'm sorry," he said as his eyes fell in shame to the floor. "I'm so, so sorry. I really thought I was protecting you. I had no idea they would target-"

Her finger to his mouth cut him off. "No, Harry. Really. None of that was your fault."

"It was your connection to me-"

"No. What have we said before?" she said as concern filled her eyes. "It is not your fault."

Her parents reached her then and pulled her into a three way hug, but her mind was on Harry, who was now talking with Neville. She could tell her words had not reached his conscience.

"I thought you and Harry were doing the separation thing again?" her father asked gently.

"Well ,we were...but we linked by accident just now, so...experiment over," she said with a small smile.

"Oh good," Mrs. Weasley started. They all look at her confused. "Well I don't like Harry spending all that time alone in Grimmauld Place. I think it gives him too much time to think..." she said quietly

Ginny couldn't help but agree. Suddenly Ginny was hit with a burst of irritation. She blinked in confusion and then noticed Harry attempting to relieve the tension in his neck. Pierre Navier had just extracted him from his conversation with Neville. Ginny started to work her way over to him taking his accidental projection of emotion as a pretty strong signal that he needed her.

"It's not like you are needed down here," Navier was saying. "It's just the trial for the overzealous detention..."

Harry's temper had been pushed enough today. Ginny quickly interceded when she saw Harry rise in response.

"What's going on?" she asked bumping lightly into Harry's side and discreetly sliding her hand into his. She felt him inhale and exhale slowly.

"Mr. Navier was just asking me to follow him upstairs to discuss how we want to handle the press...and Gawain Robards, the new head of the Auror department, apparently has something he wants to talk with me about. Mr. Navier was insisting that I leave with him now," Harry said with a touch of frustration in his tone.

"It's okay," Ginny said turning to him. "Really, I'm fine. Go ahead, I'll meet you after. Tiberius is coming over, remember?"

Harry seemed to hesitate. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, absolutely. Go take care of stuff. The hard part is over." She leaned in and placed a short kiss on his lips and then gave him a light push. He sent her one crooked smile before following Navier out of the courtroom.

*********

"So we don't know where all those people went? But you think they may have gone somewhere together?" Harry asked.

"We have no idea, but it is...suspicious," Robards replied.

"Let me get this straight. You have been tailing known members of the Dark Movement?"

"Suspected members. With little to no proof of their activities," he interjected re-shuffling the moving photographs of the intelligence they had collected.

"And five of them were unaccounted for during the same block of time, from all different countries?"

"Yes, the five slipped their tails at the same time."

"Did you check the disapparition records?" Harry asked.

"No magical wards noted any unmonitored entrances."

"Right, but is there record that any of them left the country and were not simply conducting business they didn't want to advertise?"

Robards looked at Harry thoughtfully. Then raised his wand and muttered a name while performing an elaborate flick. Within minutes, an Auror popped her head into the room.

"Yes, sir?"

"Could you check the five we have monitored Disapparition records?"

"Yes, sir. One moment." With that she whisked away; Harry could hear the fast clicking of her heels as she hurried back down the hall.

"You are right, Harry. When we tail someone we monitor the magical signature that is left when they Disapparate and countries monitor their own entrance records. It is much easier to set up wards to note the entrance of a wizard than it is to keep track of all the exits and inter-boundary movements. Shelia specializes in this type of magical monitoring."

Shelia was back impressively quickly, though slightly winded. "All five Disapparated sometime during the period where their tracker had lost them. But there is not an apparition record for any of them until hours later, meaning no wards were fired off when they landed wherever it was that they landed."

"So they all moved within a given boundary..." Robards said disbelievingly.

"Or they all Apparated somewhere where there are no wards to notice their entrance," Harry supplied darkly.

"A secret meeting...in a secret place?"

Harry just shrugged in response. "It wouldn't be the first time...I wondered why Voldemort never tracked me this way..." Harry wondered out loud.

Robards suddenly smiled. "I asked a Death Eater that, under Veritaserum. The courts don't trust the stuff because it can be hoodwinked, but it is useful for us when we want to obtain non-essential information that we can later analyze for verification. This Death Eater said that Voldemort killed someone for failing in that very task. It seems that your magical signature was somehow scrambled. The tracking that Shelia does is much more accurate than the underage monitoring charm. It is tailored to each person specifically and is time consuming to set-up and requires proximity of a tracker."

Harry absorbed that strange bit of information wondering if it was his link to Voldemort or his link to Ginny that scrambled his magical signature.

"So, does this mean if I start breaking laws it will be hard to prove my guilt?" Harry asked.

Shelia suddenly giggled and then looked thoroughly embarrassed at having done so.

"I think if anyone tried to charge you with a crime they'd find themselves mauled by your legions of fans," Robards responded remembering Harry's strange awkwardness about his fame, and as predicted, Harry shook his head looking at the ground. Robards thanked Shelia and sent her on her way.

"If we are right about this secret meeting, then we are talking about an organized Dark Movement. Not the actions of delusional individuals."

Harry nodded. "Which would mean there is a master plan."

"But we really have no idea what that would be."

"Well, I imagine it starts with killing me...doesn't it always?" Harry asked, only half-joking. Robards admired the calm way Harry accepted the hand he'd been dealt.

Suddenly Navier was at the door again. Harry had to bite back his groan of frustration. This guy...he just rubbed Harry the wrong way.

"Ready to talk about your press conference?" he asked.

Harry groaned. "I don't know...maybe we won't have to have one. The press hasn't been that much trouble. In fact, the stories have only grown more eccentric, which makes people less likely to believe them."

Harry didn't notice Navier's response as he suddenly fell onto one knee gasping for breath. Panic swelled in him and he felt gutted. The sudden terror and loss of energy disoriented Harry for only the span of a breath.

"Ginny," came out through clenched teeth as realization dawned. Harry then pushed himself off the ground stumbling on weak limbs and was running down the hall before either of the two men had registered what he had said. He was zig-zagging as he used the walls to support his declining strength. Finally Robards came after him in confusion.

"Harry? What is it?"

"Ginny. Courtroom," he forced out.


	19. Say Sorry Because You're Hurt

From Part XVIII Don't Say Sorry Because I'm Hurt...

Harry didn't notice Navier's response as he suddenly fell onto one knee gasping for breath. Panic swelled in him and he felt gutted. The sudden terror and loss of energy disoriented Harry for only the span of a breath.

"Ginny," came out through clenched teeth as realization dawned. Harry then pushed himself off the ground stumbling on weak limbs and was running down the hall before either of the two men had registered what he had said. He was zig-zagging as he used the walls to support his declining strength. Finally Robards came after him in confusion.

"Harry? What is it?"

"Ginny. Courtroom," he forced out.

Part XIX ...Say Sorry Because You're Hurt

Not a second later, an alarm sounded filling the whole Auror department with activity as Harry began pounding on the buttons of the lift. Robards immediately took on a calm demeanor directing the panic even while distracted by the pyrotechnic display Harry was quickly becoming. The two entered the lift and Robards waved his wand over-riding the lift's controls, sending it speeding to the source of the alarm.

The lift opened at the atrium revealing one of Harry's worse nightmares. Amycus Carrow had his arm wrapped around Ginny's throat tugging her with him toward the exit, using her as a human shield. The Aurors and prison guards were all wands raised and ready, but too fearful of hitting Ginny to act.

Without even thinking, Harry sent extra strength to Ginny making himself collapse to the floor behind Robards. Ginny absorbed the strength visibly. Her sudden illumination first distracted Amycus and then she sent the energy to her skin. Amycus released her as if he had been burnt but before the Aurors could even aim a curse Ginny tossed a magical net onto Amycus shaking with the strength of the connection. But now they were linked and Ginny immediately reached out to Harry, though he was on the opposite end of the atrium, and fueled the connection.

She swore she could feel Harry sigh as his strength began to return. And in that moment she felt...clarity. She felt three separate energies, her own, Harry's, and the unique energy that was a combination of the two. It was somehow more, and distinct from the sum of their strengths. She added with sudden conviction her excess energy to their joint power and urged Harry with her mind to take from the joint power amassing between them to supply his own.

That Robards didn't react in shock to Harry's sudden revitalization spoke greatly for his training and experience. Harry snapped up feeling filled with Ginny's presence. He helped her strengthen her hold Amycus while constructing a shield around her as well. Ginny scanned the area around her. Harry could feel her recognition when she spotted Alecto near the exit.

Together they extended magic out to her and froze her with an enforced body-binding charm.

There was a stunned frozen moment before Robards began barking orders having the two prisoners taken away. Harry ignored the sudden flurry of activity as he ran to Ginny. He pulled her to him quickly and then pushed her slightly away so he could search her for injuries though logic told him that if she was hurt he would have sensed it through their connection. Logic was not the controlling factor as he kissed her fiercely ravaging her mouth pouring all of his pent of frustration at his inability to keep her safe into the kiss, oblivious to the difficulty the Aurors were now having at controlling the influx of people now that the prisoners were chained up again.

But to Harry and Ginny all that registered was that they had once again made it out of a crisis unscathed.

*****

"How did this happen!" Harry was raging. He paced the room filled with the most important people in the British Wizarding community, but he was nowhere near intimidated. He was furious. How much was he expected to handle calmly? Could no one do their job?

"I know, Harry," Kingsley said. "I am just as angry as you are."

"Really? How many times has the love of your life been attacked?" But Harry regretted the words almost immediately. Angry as he was, he should have a better control of it.

"I'm sorry. It's just...I'm all out of balance." And it was true, all of the back and forth of magical energy, and spending most of the week alone had forced him to confront a lot of the memories that being around people had helped him ignore.

"No. Harry you are right," Robards said. "This is ridiculous. We almost lost two prisoners. In a room filled with Aurors and guards. What the hell happened?"

Harry sat down at the large conference table listening intently as the higher ranked Aurors gave a report. The only explanation was that someone in the Ministry had made the near escape possible. It seemed the magical restraints had been tampered with according to the report from the lead guard on duty.

"We're going to have to do a full investigation," Robards said to Kingsley so that only Harry could hear them. "It is likely a Ministry employ tampered with those restraints."

"If they had help," Harry interjected quietly. "Then they may have been trying to meet up with...others. They may have information." The occupancy of the room prompted his vagueness.

"Is Ginny alright?" Tiberius asked from further down the table.

"Yeah, she'll be okay."

"What kind of magic was that?" One of the guards asked. "Is that how you defeated you-know-who?"

"Tom Riddle? No. That's not it at all," Harry responded off hand.

"I imagine keeping this out of the press is going to be difficult," Navier interjected. "Potter's girlfriend lights up the courtroom... The press on this is going to be a nightmare. Perhaps now we need a press conference, so Harry can explain how that all worked. People are going to want to know."

Dealing with the press was the last thing on Harry's mind.

Kingsley sighed. "I'll release a statement. If anyone asks, we'll just explain that Ginny has a brother who works as a curse-breaker in Egypt and he must have taught her how to use the out-of-date burning shield."

Robards leaned into Harry. "There is no such thing. Everyone will just assume it is a foreign charm that causes the skin to light up and slowly produce heat until the captor lets one go...because that's what will be insinuated. Kingsley is really good at suggesting something without ever lying directly."

Harry may not like it, but that was politics. Kingsley began handing out assignments. Then Robards began a lecture on the proper way to handle a crisis and told the Aurors there would be an analysis and review of how the department handled it. Harry couldn't help but think this sounded like a detention for a poorly completed homework assignment.

In the bustle, Tiberius made his way over to Harry. "Shall we head back to the burrow?" Harry nodded exhausted.

******

The greeting in the Burrow was warm, as most of the Weasley clan seemed to have come home for dinner.

Harry pushed his way past Ginny's brothers politely acknowledging their thanks for keeping Ginny safe. To Harry the words were empty. First of all, Ginny had protected herself, and secondly, he was the cause of her predicament.

Ginny was dressed simply in a flowing white top and cut-off jean shorts. He couldn't help but take in the creamy skin brightened by her summer tan. Ginny smiled as he approached, but then her smile slid sideways into a smirk as she caught the flavor of his thoughts. When he reached her, she stood up slowly slid her hands up his arms that were still encased in his dress shirt and then wrapped her arms around his neck pulling their bodies together. She felt Harry sigh and his fingers clench in her shirt at her waist.

She moved her fingers to comb through his hair when he dropped his head to her shoulder to nuzzle her neck. He placed a soft kiss there. "Thank Merlin you're okay," he mumbled into her neck.

"Come on, let's go for a walk," Ginny said pulling him out of the burrow and away from prying eyes.

Though the sun had already begun to set, the summer air was still hot and sticky. So Ginny led Harry toward the pond. He followed her in silence to the end of the small dock and let her pull him to sit next to her on the end, dipping their feet in the water. They sat in silence for a few minutes just staring out at the water.

"So...Today sucked," Ginny said suddenly. So succinct and so true, but the words expressed none of the true depth of the day's events. She felt Harry shudder beside her. She turned to him still not sure exactly how upset he was and was surprised to see him smiling. It wasn't a shudder, but a laugh. Another irrepressible, surprised laugh came out of Harry's mouth until suddenly he was laughing outright.

"Yeah, sucked about sums it up," he said falling backward to lie on the dock. Ginny smiled down at him and then shifted tugging on his tie. Harry lay still as she removed it taking in her every movement. He flinched involuntarily when she reached toward his belt to pull his shirt out from where is had been tucked in.

"Come on...it's too hot. Off with the shirt." Harry tilted his head back looking upside down back toward the Burrow assuring himself they were alone. But Ginny was already unbuttoning and then tugging on his arms to get him to sit-up. She moved behind him as he shrugged his shirt off the rest of the way. He felt her fingers trail slowly up his bare back and then slowly knead his trapezius. A pleasureful groan escaped him without his conscious realization.

Ginny continued massaging through the tensed muscle of his back. While she spoke to him in low soothing sounds. "Harry. I know you are upset. But it's fine. I'm fine.... I can feel you doubting." Harry was a mess of emotions; he didn't know whether to cry or turn on her right then and devour her. "Just listen to this, Mr. Potter. Don't you dare start thinking that my troubles are caused by you or that I'd be better off without you. That only worked once...It will never work again. Promise me," she said leaning over his shoulder whispering in his ear, "Promise me you aren't going to start pulling away from me," she finished while sliding around to straddle his lap. She moved her hands to his face seeing clearly the inner turmoil there. "Harry I want you in my life, for better, for worse, for...no matter what..." she paused before slowly saying, "You'd only hurt me by leaving."

Harry pulled back slightly in surprise. He had barely noted his own fleeting thought that leaving might bring these attacks to a stop.

"I-I," Ginny silenced him with a kiss.

"I promise not to leave you again for any stupid noble reasons," Ginny said in mock slowness leading him to repeat after her. She locked her eyes on his watching him waver with what he wanted and what he misguidedly thought was right.

"I promise," he said finally. "Ginny, I don't think I could leave you again even if I actually wanted to try. I don't have the strength for that."

"That's not the kind of strength you should want," she smiled, and then leaned down to kiss him. He responded with surprising fervor. And soon Ginny found herself gasping as his hand slid easily under her flowing top. He groaned when he discovered no obstruction while his hands caressed up and down her back.

He watched in shocked awe when Ginny pushed him down lightly to lie back once more. Her mouth worked slowly up his stomach causing his muscle to twitch in response; when she finally reached his mouth, she surprised him when she dropped a playful kiss to his nose before pushing off him and then jumping into the water with a graceful splash.

"Gin! Not fair," he said sitting up.

"What's wrong? The famous Harry Potter not up for a little swim?" But Harry was already in the water, pants and all and stalking toward her. He caught her easily... granted, she wanted to be caught. She wrapped her legs around his waist enjoying the buoyancy the water gave them.

She kissed him again. Slowly, languidly rubbing her hands over his toned chest. They pulled apart smiling at one another. Harry's eyes dropped involuntarily to her soaked white shirt and Ginny laughed tossing her head back.

"Why Mr. Potter, where is your chivalry now, hmm?

Harry spluttered in embarrassment. "Sorry, I uh, I didn't mean-" She laughed again leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"I like that you can't help yourself." Her hands reached back for the knot at the base of her neck that held her top up. Harry's breath caught in his throat.

"Harry!"

"Ginny!"

"You two had better not be skinny dipping!"

Ginny dropped her head to Harry's shoulder as he groaned in frustration.

"Seriously! Are you sure they don't have some sort of chastity ward on you that alerts them anytime we...well when we are having too much fun?"

"They had better not, because all it would take is one well placed bat boogey hex..."

"...And then your mum wouldn't get any grandchildren."

Ginny burst out laughing.

"Come on, you two, Tiberius is waiting!"

They made their way back to the deck. Harry took one look at Ginny and then offered her his shirt to cover up.

"Who's chivalrous now?" he taunted draping it over her shoulders.

"Why, Harry, that is so gallant of you," she said teasingly reaching down for her wand and then scourgifying his pants before drying off her own clothes and handing him his shirt back.

They walked back to the Burrow hand in hand happily ignoring any and all snide comments. They helped themselves to the smorgasbord of food on the table and then sat down with Tiberius.

"I'm glad to hear that the practicing we've done was helpful. You two linked from across the room and were able to perform separate magic! That is excellent. We should work on linking at greater and greater distances."

The two then went into detail explaining exactly what had happened and their newfound ability to project emotions and their awareness of three sources of energies. Tiberius found it all very reassuring and explained how it supported his theories.

"Harry I couldn't help but notice something about the timing of the attack was bothering you..."

Harry swept his gaze to the floor. The discussion he had had with Kingsley and Robards made him more than slightly cautious of everyone around him. Tiberius was perhaps too attentive. Harry pushed down his paranoia.

"Umm, yeah..." He looked up at Ginny, her parents, and Tiberius. "I just can't imagine the Carrows and whoever helped them thought they could get them both out... I mean, perhaps their plan would have worked, if they had picked someone less capable of defending themselves," he said giving Ginny's hand a light squeeze. "But still," Harry said reluctantly.

"You think that someone may have been testing our connection?" Ginny asked suddenly.

"I don't know," Harry said in frustration. "But I think it's a possibility we have to consider." He couldn't bring himself to look at her parents.

"Well let's get back to it then," Tiberius said.

"Do they really need to do more drills tonight? It's been a long day..." Mr. Weasley interjected.

"I'm afraid we'll lose some of the progress we've made if we stop the exercises now. At this point, if they spend all of tonight and tomorrow together, their bodies might fall back into the easier old habit of refueling from each other."

Harry nodded. "Ginny?"

"I'm fine. You sure you're up for this?" He just nodded again.

Harry followed Tiberius out of the Burrow while Ginny remained in the kitchen. They worked into the late evening trying to connect from a distance. They were both sweating and feeling all out of sorts. It was like they were throwing their energy at an impenetrable wall, but when the energy came back out to them, it was in a complete disarray, like yarn that had begun to unravel and then haphazardly shoved back into a ball.

Later they both moved outdoors. Ginny smiled as she approached Harry, sliding her hand happily into his. With the other she brushed back his bangs where they were sticking to his forehead. He reached out to her with his mind gently asking for entrance. She immediately let him in. They both sighed when their magic was able to complete the link it so desperately desired. But the feeling of completeness was short lived as they soon began testing if they could maintain the link and draw from their joint energy without making the other suffer at further and further distances.

"Arghh," Harry said falling tiredly to his knees as Ginny was yet again torn from his mind. It was a strange and unpleasant feeling. The separation was both physical and emotional, making the repeated occurrence of the forced disjointing of their minds painful.

"Perhaps we should end it here. You both are enough out of sorts that separating now will force your body to replenish itself." Harry and Ginny's empathetic nodding assured him that his assertion was accurate.

Harry pushed himself to his feet staggering slightly. Refusing the proffered help, he sent Ginny a small smile, and before she could object, he Apparated away.

*****

"Harry!" He rolled over groaning, wishing it was Ginny who was waking him up... she had much better methods. He flipped over smiling into his pillow in memory.

"Master Harry! Breakfast! Time to eat. You have goblins to visit today."

That got him moving. "What time is it, Kreacher?"

"You has got time, Master Harry. I is not forgetting your appointments. Eat." Kreacher was forcing food into his mouth before Harry had even managed to untangle his limbs from his bed sheets after a fitful night of sleep.

Hours later, Harry was still at Gringotts speaking with Mockridge Cuthbert, discussing plans. The goblins didn't know quite how to handle him. His method of developing security made them more than suspicious. Mostly because he often started with, 'well if I wanted to break in to that vault I'd...'

Eventually Harry asked the other wizards to leave the room.

He turned to Griphook and Ragnok, the head of the bank. "I just wanted to save a few things for only your ears...The best bet of keeping wizards out is to make sure that there are surprise elements to your security plans." He went on to explain a few of the things he thought would be easy for a wizard such as the Polyjuice/Imperious curse combination.

They nodded thoughtfully seemingly truly happy to hear his input, and Harry knew how hard that was for them...accepting help.

"And...well I wanted to say I'm sorry. Griphook I swear to you on my parents' grave I had every intention of giving you that sword as soon as the Horcruxes were all destroyed...and I felt terrible misleading you...I can also promise you all that breaking in was necessary in order to destroy Voldemort. There was no other way."

All but Griphook looked at him in shock. Wizards often didn't want much less ask their forgiveness or, for that matter, care that they may have slighted them.

"I told you all," Griphook interjected. "He is no ordinary wizard."

"Lucky for you, Harry, I am a much more liberal goblin. It times such as these...I think it's best to forgive and forget," Ragnok said while continuing to look appraisingly at Harry.

"While I stand by that my actions were necessary. I do feel responsible for the damage. I appreciate that you have not charged me for my crimes," Harry said sheepishly.

The goblins chuckled darkly, knowing such a charge would be overlooked by a legislation heavily controlled by wizards.

"I would like to contribute...monetarily to the rebuild."

The ensuing silence was deafening.

"You'd like to what?" Ragnok asked loudly.

"Shh, shh..." Harry said looking out the door. "It's not right that the goblins have to absorb that financial burden, but keep it down."

"You want to help pay to rebuild, but you don't want anyone to know about it?"

Harry nodded. As the sole remaining Potter and having inherited a great deal of the Black family fortune, Harry did not know exactly what his financial status was, but he knew he had more than a few galleons to spare.

"Griphook, you are right...this kid is not normal. Okay, Mr. Potter. We are more than willing to accept your... donation. Now let's go on a little tour. Maybe we'll lock you in some vaults and see if you can finagle a way out," Ragnok said laughing.

Harry rolled his eyes chuckling lightly as he and the goblins rejoined the group of Ministry representatives. The wizards all gave him puzzled looks, which Harry ignored.

Minutes later, they were all zooming down on the bank carts. The sight of two wizards and one goblin crammed in each of the three carts that made up their caravan struck Harry as hilarious. They were all so formal and business like, but it looked like they were riding a Muggle roller-coaster.

They all clamored out to and into a large space that had obviously been blasted out by the dragons.

"This is where work will begin next," Ragnok was explaining.

"We are planning on using the newly developed magical warding charms. The charm is very strong. Once one is standing on the inside of the vault," he said indicating the shimmery blue wall of the ward. "Their magic is useless. Magic can pass into the chamber and still be effective, but it cannot be generated from within. This allows us to incapacitate the thief. The problem is the charm only works on rather small places and does not work indefinitely; eventually the ward can be overcome."

Griphook turned to Harry. "This is one of the other reasons we asked you to come. This is still in testing phase...we need to keep throwing different wizards into it and see if they can fight it off..."

Harry shrugged, walking into the room experimentally. As they had said, he found little use of his wand in the small cramped space. He also found the barrier, while easy to enter impossible to force your way out of. They expected him to keep pushing harder and harder to try to wear out the spell, but instead they watched him critically as he began looking about the room.

"You said this ward only functions in small confined spaces, right?" he asked shoving his toe into a crack in the seam of the brick wall. Harry began climbing up the wall and soon reached the ceiling; he pushed up on the bricks above him and, as he had expected, they moved easily. They were just laid on top of the vault like a lid to a box.

"Okay, okay! Don't!" Griphook yelled and Harry let the brick fall back into place jumping down.

"What?"

"I bet that would work... making the space bigger... good catch. But setting this ward is difficult and time consuming. I'd rather you didn't simply release it."

Ragnok nodded. "Yes, if you break it, it can be reset. But if this ward gets stretched too thin, it becomes impossible to draw back."

Harry was climbing again.

"Harry, don't move the ceiling. We will fix the constructional flaws," one of the lead wizard contractors said.

"I'm not," he grunted out with exertion. He braced himself in the corner of the ceiling, pulling out his wand. Years of living in a cupboard made this relatively easy. He tried to use his magic there. "This ward is weird I can only get really simple spells to work. Lumo--"

"Crucio!" The unexpected curse sent Harry crashing to the floor, only compounding the initial pain of the curse. He looked out the doorway of the vault which was quickly beginning to feel like a cell.

He saw several unconscious and several incarcerated members of their party and blinked in confusion at Mockridge Cuthbert who was holding a wand on him. Harry might as well have been wandless.

"I couldn't stand another second of your light-hearted arrogance! Where was all this cleverness last year? If you are so damn smart, why the hell did it take you so long?"

"Mr. Cuthbert," Harry said his brain in twenty places as he tried to figure out what this man was talking about and find a way out of his situation. To add to the stakes, Harry could feel his energy rising in response, pooling magic that could not be released.

"The only thing that makes any sense at all is that you were hiding most of last year, like a coward," Cuthbert was now pacing back and forth jerkily. "You had the power, you were the only one with the knowledge and yet it took you how long to get off your ass and actually defeat that bastard."

Harry's frantic searching for a way out was put to an abrupt stop. This man was not a follower of Voldemort? He paid for his moment of confusion when he was hit by another Cruciatus curse falling to the floor again.

"I don't understand..." Harry blurted out, clenching his teeth to withstand the pain.

"Of course you don't, you stupid child! Do you have any idea how many died while you twiddled your thumbs? Or are you too busy enjoying your hero's treatment to even respect everyone who died waiting for you!"

Cuthbert's words struck Harry to the core. The raging guilt he had been struggling with forced its way up his throat.

"I...I...all year, even last year we were working toward destroying Volde-"

But Harry's words only served to elevate Cuthbert's anger. Cuthbert's wand are came down in violent thrashing movement and Harry immediately clasped one hand to his shoulder where he had started bleeding profusely and before he had even registered the pain of the cut he was hit with another round of cruicios.

"I heard you at Hogwarts. You gave your little abridged version of what you've been doing this year...if you had just let other people know what was going on then...my..then..." Cuthbert was struggling for words now shaking with anger and Harry clutched desperately at his bleeding arm.

"My wife and my DAUGHTER. Tortured and killed by Death Eaters. Only days before Voldemort was killed. If you actually cared about all the people who were dying more than saving your own skin, then you would have acted sooner!"

Harry stared at him in horror. Cuthbert was far past hearing any logic. His loss made him more than dangerous. Harry's panic triggered an exponential increase his already growing energy.

"I'm sorry about your family." And Harry was. He was so sorry that he hadn't been able to act sooner. "But please, think about what you're doing."

"Think about it! You are not going to slither your way out of this one, Harry Potter. How do we know that you are not going to take up Voldemort's helm!? You're a Parselmouth! You have strange abilities that no one understands! Everyone just trusts you and has handed you the Wizarding world like the key to a city at some stupid parade!"

Harry felt like he was being slowly smothered with a pillow. His energy was building tighter and tighter under his skin with no hope of release. The ward was not preventing his actual magic, but merely the release of it. The usual light that stroked up and down his arms without sensation was becoming painful as if all of his veins and arteries were constricting.

"Look at you now! What is that?" He said pointing his wand the streaking lights. "I think there is only one way to deal with you. You must be destroyed... yes, it is the only way."

How many times had Harry faced death? Would this be the last? But this time the mad man maybe had a point. This was not vendetta against a two-year-old. This was pure hatred for who Harry was and the actions he had taken as an adult.

"Please," Harry pleaded thinking of Ginny. "Please, don't..."

Suddenly Cuthbert was on the ground disarmed. Griphook had hit him upside the head with the blunt of an ax.

Harry fell to his knees shaking uncontrollably. Griphook quickly tended to the others as they all began to rouse.

They turned to Harry who was breathing deeply on the floor. He was braced on his hands and knees shaking uncontrollably. Pain was the only emotion across his face.

"What happened?" one of the ministry wizards asked.

His question went ignored as the others cottoned on much quicker and moved to dissemble the ward keeping Harry captive.

"N-n-no!" Harry barely managed to say. "Leave it."

"What? Harry, you need help."

"I-I, t-t-too much..." he took a deep breath repressing the vibrations that were rocking his system.

"What? No, Harry we need to get you out of here." Harry stopped resisting when he was hit with a sudden wave of dizziness. His arm was still bleeding, the arm of his shirt now soaked.

Harry struggled to move out of the cell cautiously avoiding physical content and refusing help. He acted as though he was a ticking bomb...for all they knew he was. He knew the energy within him had reached dangerous proportions. Harry struggled into the cart with a great deal of effort gluing himself to the edge of the cart. Ragnok slid in behind him. Suddenly, Harry gripped the side of the cart with increased strength.

"Ginny," he said barely audible.

Ragnok wasn't sure if he was delirious or not, so he immediately rushed the cart out of there.

They reached ground level and exited directly into the conference room they had occupied earlier. Immediately upon Ragnok's entrance, two different goblins approached him.

"Security breach in sector A4," the first said promptly.

"Sir, there are two witches and a wizard making quite a bit of a disturbance... They're demanding to see Harry Potter."

Harry had just made it into the room and fell once again to the floor. The rest of their party was fast behind him.

"Get her," Harry said. "Ginny...S-s-she's here."

Ragnok quickly ordered the younger goblin to escort Ginny in. In seconds, though it felt like an eternity to Harry, who was writhing in pain, Ginny came rushing into the room.

Without a single word, she dropped to the floor next to Harry and trapped his face between both of her hands. He reached up and twisted his hands around hers looking to her for salvation.

"Harry," she said desperately. "Let it go. It's going to be okay." His shuddering increased and tears welled in his eyes. "Please, Harry." This finally broke him and he released the block that he was using in attempt to control the mounting power. Magic flowed out of Harry and hit Ginny; they both focused hard on absorbing the power... without creating an explosion. Together they re-established a balance. Harry's body ached as the ebbing panic allowed his mind the chance to process the pain. Heat emanated from them like the epicenter of a hot spring warming those closest to the pair.

Ginny leaned in a placed a soft kiss to his forehead and then another to his lips. She reached down to pull him to his feet.

"What happened?"

"Are you alright?"

"Cuthbert really?"

The barrage of questions came from the pile of Ministry and bank workers. Harry supplied them with the briefest of summaries. Ginny watched him, her concern growing. He was barely holding on...he couldn't handle this right now.

Hermione stepped forward from the far end of the room. "Someone needs to contact the higher-ups at the ministry and get Kingsley here. Harry can explain the details to them," she said ensuing some common sense into the room. That one sentence got people moving. Griphook and Ragnok started issuing orders and left to see that they were being followed properly.

"Harry?" Ron asked cautiously.

"Harry, how about Ron and I go handle things with the Ministry and goblins for awhile," Hermione interjected.

He barely managed a nod in response. Hermione left throwing a meaningful glance at Ginny, who also nodded. She was way ahead of Hermione. Finally she and Harry were alone.

She turned to face Harry, locking eyes with him. Slowly, but surely, the stoic mask he had been wearing began to crumble, his eyebrows clenched and tears welled until an unavoidable sob escaped his throat. Ginny just opened her arms to him and he violently pulled her to him, burying his face in her neck as long suppressed emotion bubbled out.

Suddenly he was kissing her, hard. His kiss was almost violent in strength. Ginny held her ground as Harry tried to ride out the slew of emotions. Relief at seeing her and the release of the painful magic inside him mixed with his guilt and the part of him that took the hit whenever someone hated him enough to want to kill him. When he finally registered that Ginny was merely tolerating his assault and not participating, he pulled back just as suddenly looking horrified.

"I'm sorry- That wasn't right. I shouldn-" Ginny placed her finger softly to his lips and then, warning him cautiously with her eyes, she leaned in and kissed him. She moved slowly and softly over his lips increasing in intensity while maintaining a languid pace. It was a true, sensual kiss about nothing but her love for him. She could feel his hot tears on her cheeks and it made her heart clench... again. He was really hurting... she just hoped that'd she'd be enough to comfort him.

Ginny took out her wand and removed his blood soaked sleeve and the quickly cleaned it with magic. She used the sleeve to tie a tourniquet around his upper arm. She performed a simple charm to seal the wound that she had learned from her mother, but it was only temporary; he needed a healer and a blood replenishing potion.

"It was Mockridge," Harry said with no preamble. "But he was not a Dark wizard."

"He tried to kill you," Ginny said gently. "I could sense as much."

"Yes... but he was not a follower of Voldemort."

"Then why...?"

"His wife and daughter... tortured and killed by Death Eaters... He blamed me for their death."

"What?"

"Don't," Harry warned at her confused look he just shook his head. "Just don't. That's the worst part!" he said, his voice steadily raising. "He was right! Those deaths are on my hands. Do you have any idea what it's like to carry that weight around? Every day I see someone whose life would be better if I hadn't been quite so daft. If I had just acted faster, not gone to Godric's Hollow, not fought with Ron...Two days! If I had just killed Voldemort two days sooner, Cuthbert's wife and daughter would still be alive." Harry kept backing out of Ginny's grasp until his back hit the wall behind him. He slid down it letting his head fall to his knees.

"Harry," Ginny said kneeling in front of him. "You don't deserve to live with this guilt." Her fingers went into his hair slowly running through it and massaging his scalp. He flinched away from her only once before giving up any sort of resistance.

"It is not your job to save everyone...You have been given ridiculous amounts of responsibility since such a young age that it has led you to this. Do you hear yourself? Do you understand what Cuthbert was asking of you? You couldn't destroy the darkest wizard of all time who had heaps of followers and control of the ministry any faster? Seriously! You were the leader in ending the greatest Wizarding war there's ever been. I know and you know you worked tirelessly toward destroying Voldemort. You sacrificed so much..." her tone was earnest and pleading, staring into his eyes as soon as he had managed to lift his head of his knees.

"How dare he!" Ginny said her resolve breaking and her rage shining through. "How dare he claim anything but the truth. He doesn't get to complain about the way in which you saved all our asses. He- He doesn't get to hurt you."

"I-I...I hear you," Harry said softly. "I really do. But I-I just can't stop feeling guilty." His tone made her want to cry, she had no doubt of the truthfulness of that statement.

Just then the door opened. "Harry!" yelled Kingsley. "What happened? Are you alright?" Hermione and Ron came running.

"Sorry," Hermione said to Ginny's annoyed look. Harry moved to rub his face quickly and then attempted to push himself up, but Ginny stopped him.

"Harry needs a minute," Ginny said surprisingly compelling, considering her age and current stance seated on the floor while adult wizards stared down at her. "Did you even bring a healer?" When none stepped forward, she wanted to roll her eyes. "Out," she said calmly. "He is not at your every beck and call. Out. And next time, when someone is attacked, bring a healer."

There was something in Ginny's face, or perhaps Harry's, that convinced Kingsley and the other wizards to leave without a word.

Harry chuckled half-heartedly. "Thanks," he said. Ginny placed her hands on Harry's knees and then rested her head on them peering at him.

"I really thought I wasn't going to see you again," he said finally. "This was so much different the all the other times before..."

"How?" Ginny asked gently trying to get him to keep opening up.

Harry struggled for words for a minute. "Well... I had sort of accepted... well that I didn't have much chance to live a long life. And dying while fighting dark wizards... like my parents did..." he swallowed convulsively. "That was a death I could accept."

Harry moved his uninjured arm and began running his hand through Ginny's hair tenderly.

"I thought that I had escaped that fate..."

"You have," Ginny said emphatically, willing him to believe it.

"Regardless, this was different. This was not a death fighting for the cause. This felt cheap, like something was being stolen from me."

She could practically sense the increase of his heart rate as his temper rose. "Why!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Why do they do this? What is it about me that causes people to act this way? I am tired of working so hard to just continuously be attacked. I'm tired of feeling so weak." He suddenly whipped his hand at his face to brush of the tears there.

"You have every right to be angry, Harry," she said.

"I-I was feeling good...I like working with the Auror department. I'm just...exhausted. I'm so tired of being a target." His anger deflated and suddenly he looked very young. Ginny gently pushed on his knees and then slid onto his lap wrapping her arms around his neck. He slid one arm under her knees cradling her close. Ginny whispered soft comforting words from where her head was tucked into the crook of Harry's neck. She was suddenly struck by how often throughout the years Harry went uncomforted. She felt his heart rate slow and placed a soft kiss on a pulse point there.

"You know what," she said suddenly. "We should go on vacation... a real vacation."

"You think?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, why not? You and I alone... having fun... no tests, no trials... Just because you want to continue working with the Ministry doesn't mean you can't take a few weeks off."

"Can we leave now?" he joked.

The door opened again, but thankfully it was only Ron and Hermione.

"Leave for where?" Ron asked.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked ignoring Ron.

Harry nodded, but made no move to release Ginny.

"He's still bleeding. Those damn Ministry people better bring back a healer."

Harry laughed. "I like it when you get all riled up protecting me," he whispered into her ear.

"Ummm, I'm sorry, but the Ministry is like chomping at the bit to talk to you Harry. I only barely managed to convince them to let us talk with you first." Hermione said gently.

Ginny pushed herself up and then turned to help Harry. She brushed her hands across his cheeks obscuring the tear tracks made in the dirt there.

"Let's deal with this mess and then off to Africa," Harry said.

"I was thinking more like the Bahamas or Fiji," Ginny said adopting the same joking tone.

"Mmm, beaches and bikinis," he mumbled into her ear right as the door opened and Ministry wizards poured in.


	20. The Calm

Part XX

Harry swept his hand across his face in a self conscious attempt to smear the tracks his tears had left in the dirt there. Dirt from the floor of the dungeon where less than an hour ago he had found himself trapped. He could feel the muscles of his back clench as he thought back on his previous encounter. How stupid could he be, he berated himself. He had thought that the selected individuals that followed him and the goblins deep into the vault were to be trusted.

A month ago he did not dare trust anyone but Ron and Hermione, and now look what he had done. He walked straight into that vault knowing it would trap him there to help test its security. He was trying to help better security and make up for the damage he had caused, albeit caused with noble intentions, and what did he get for it...attacked...again. This time by a ministry employee bent on blaming Harry for not ending Voldemort's reign before his wife and daughter were murdered. It was just one of countless horror-filled stories that would always plague his consciousness.

"I'm afraid this is going to leave a scar," the healer said as he examined Harry's arm.

And just one more of many scars that would never fade from his body. A warm hand slid up his good arm and over his shoulder. Even in a room crowded full of ministry officials all staring at him, Harry couldn't help but notice how nice it felt for her soft curves to pillow against his back as she leaned into him.

"I don't mind the scars," she whispered in his ear. "They just show...strength, what has tried to beat you...and failed." She paused a second hesitantly before continuing. "There's something incredibly...masculine about them." Harry's eyebrow quirked in response, and as easy as that, Ginny pulled him out of the self-loathing direction of his thoughts.

Ginny moved to perch on the table before Harry. She held his gaze as the healer continued his work, offering him a pleasant distraction from the anxious and inquisitive eyes surrounding him. He reached out and put his good hand on her knee in silent thanks.

"What else was injured?" The healer asked.

Harry shifted slightly toward his good side, glancing up at those surrounding him. He slowly lifted up the edge of his shirt. Ginny gasped. She knew he was favoring one side but had no idea it was so bad. An angry red and purple mark had taken over most of the side of his ribcage. Tendrils of red snaked away as if what appeared to be a bruise was attempting to take over the whole of Harry's torso.

"Does this hurt?" he said as he gently pressed the pad of his finger to the center of the wound. Harry winced unavoidably and the concern in Ginny's eyes doubled.

The healer eased Harry's shirt back down to cover the wound. Harry glanced around hesitantly a second, before settling back on Ginny whose face was clenched in concern. Harry was naturally inclined toward downplaying his injuries but it was the expression on her face that prompted him to shift the neckline of his shirt to one side revealing another deep red invasive wound covering the entirety of his shoulder whose tendrils snaked down over his arms and chest.

Ginny slid off the table wanting to get a better look.

"It's not getting any worse," Harry said to the healer as he caught Ginny's hand before she could reach out to the wound. "Can you look at it a bit later?" he asked.

The healer nodded. He had been reluctant to even start the exam with so many eyes on them. It rarely made even the most exhibitionist of patients comfortable. If the wizarding world understood anything about Harry, it was the reluctance with which he approached his fame.

Harry thanked the healer for his help and then gave Ginny's hand one final squeeze before standing and asserting himself into the throng of ministry personnel waiting to speak with him. He hid his limp well, but Ginny could see it and mentally cursed the ministry for the umpteenth time. They were just so impatient and pushy. Sometimes it seemed people forgot that Harry was just one man, and a young one at that.

"Is Mockridge in custody?" Harry asked addressing Kingsley. His voice was as devoid of emotion as his face, carefully contrived to appear stoic.

"Yes," Kingsley replied. "He is already being carted off to Azkaban to await trial."

"Mockridge was a long-serving, trusted ministry employee. He must have been under the imperius curse or perhaps Harry was confundled."

Harry eyebrow quirked with ire, but he remained otherwise expressionless. "It was Mockridge. He blamed me for the death of his wife and daughter. It was not an act in support of Voldemort."

"Blamed you? How? What is your connection to his family?"

"I have no connection to his family," Harry said wearily. Ginny stepped in, surreptitiously sliding one hand over Harry's lower back providing support and comfort.

"Mockridge seemed to think that Harry could have saved our collective asses a bit faster," Ginny said providing their company with a sarcastic smile.

"It sounds like he went mad with grief," the ministry worker closest to Kingsley said with sympathy. "That poor man."

Ginny felt her hackles rise. Harry could practically feel her irritation rippling through the air surrounding them.

"Others have suffered much worse and have not resorted to taking their pain out on innocents." Ginny felt for Mockridge's loss, but he certainly did not feel for hers. He clearly had not even given her and the others who love Harry a second thought and that was unforgivable to her. "Grief is not an excuse," she finished resolutely.

"We're never going to get anywhere with this eye for an eye mentality," Harry said wearily. "Unforgivable curses are becoming too common, less unforgiveable..."

"Desperate times, lead people to take desperate measures. We're at war," Navier pipped in.

"The war is over," Harry corrected.

"Harry is right. The war iis/i over. People need to start acting like it," Tiberius replied.

"Now, Harry, if you wouldn't mind, could you walk us through in detail what happened?"

When Harry nodded Kingsley gestured them all back to the table to sit.

"This is the court's stenographer," Kingsley said gesturing to the young man who was retrieving an official looking leather bound notebook and quill. "He will take down your official statement."

Harry regaled them with the details, explaining why the goblins asked him to enter the vault, what Mockridge had said, and the spells he had used.

"The goblins' spell was effective. Even with my wand, any release of magical energy proved to be impossible. Magic began pooling within me, geared up to fight but there was no outlet." Harry shifted his glance to fix Ginny with a meaningful stare. Her eyes widened with comprehension. She had felt his tug at her energy as her magic flew to him through whatever invisible bond that connected them whenever one was in trouble. Her magic had flown to him, reacting with his own and growing exponentially inside him with no hope of release.

Tiberius seemed to understand the implication. "Did the...containment grow painful?"

"It looked like your veins were on fire and straining to burst from your skin," Griphook provided, shuddering a bit at the memory. Ginny glanced over at Tiberius whose eyes had glazed over, a look he adopted whenever he was trying to riddle out something new with her and Harry's connection.

"That's why I was reluctant to come out of that vault at first," Harry replied to Griphook. "I thought for sure that after I left that containment ward I would explode...or cause something to explode. Thanks again, Griphook, really...Thank-you."

With that the interview turned to Griphook to explain his view of the events. Ginny's hand slid under the table and ran soothingly over Harry's knee. He closed his eyes at the gentle comfort of her touch. Hermione watched from the opposite end of the table. Harry was in much more pain than he was letting on. It made her uneasy.

The meeting was breaking up as Kingsley thanked the Goblins for accommodating them and helping Harry get out safely. Hermione and Ron approached Harry.

"Thank Merlin you're alright," Hermione said near tears.

"He's fine, Hermione. Don't get upset," Ron said as they sat down. "It takes more than one psycho to stop Harry. But uh, Harry can we call that healer back in here now...You've looked better mate."

Harry looked around as all but Kingsley and Tiberius left, and then nodded, but before Ron could go and retrieve the healer who had been told to wait outside. Tiberius and Kingsley approached them.

"Actually, Harry. I think I know what's up. Could I have a look?" Tiberius asked gesturing to Harry's shirt. Harry shrugged perching on the table and unbuttoning his shirt and pushing the tails aside.

"I think it was actually your magic trying to force its way out. A bruise forms when something on the outside causes physical trauma that breaks blood capillaries. This is the opposite. It's like something on the inside was pushing so hard it caused physical trauma like a mix of a bruise and a burn but from the inside..." Tiberius said.

Ginny reached out from her position near Harry and placed a careful finger on the very end of the longest branch of the wound on his shoulder. Harry closed his eyes, but not to hide pain.

"That...that feels...it soothes the pain."

Carefully watching Harry's expression, Ginny slowly traced the angry red lines. Harry's nearly suppressed moan spurred her to continue until her palm was flat against the center of the wound on his shoulder. Harry let his head fall unable to keep his expression schooled any longer. With his head dropped and eyes closed it was all too easy to forget those around him and drown under the sensation that came from Ginny's gentle caress.

It was like his shoulder had been on fire and she was the most comforting cooling balm. Her touch seemed to be absorbing the searing heat. But more, it connected them deeper than the physical bounds of the simple touch, like whatever was emanating such heat was taking a part of him...into her.

Ginny took a sharp intake of breath as the diluted warmth entering through her finger tips travelled up her arm to her center. She felt the familiar brush of Harry's magic touch hers and let her eyes drift close and the comfortable rightness of that feeling. This time she was able to stop her energy from rising to mix and exponentiate with his. This was not gearing up for some battle this was trying to...restore a balance.

Ron shifted awkwardly somehow the simplicity of his sister's hand on Harry's shoulder did nothing to lessen the feeling that he was interrupting an intimate moment between the two of them. Hermione gasped causing Ron to return his gaze to his best friend and sister. The red color of Harry's wound seemed to be receding as one branch at a time shortened toward where Ginny's hand lay. Streaks began moving up Ginny's arms but faded quickly.

"It's like the excess magic pooled in places and lodged itself so that Harry couldn't release or reabsorb it. So Ginny has to draw it out..." Tiberius said in awe. "It is so amazing to see a thing as intangible as unspent magic appear so visibly."

Hermione shifted her gaze to Tiberius sometimes he seemed like he was one step from opening some sort of lab to run experiments on Harry and Ginny, like his interest in the pursuit of knowledge could cloud his judgement. The sentiment was one with which Hermione was familiar.

Ginny staggered a small step as the last of the color and heat withdrew from Harry's shoulder and hit her more forcefully than the steady flow that had preceded. Harry's head shot up to make sure she was okay. He met her eyes and both acknowledged the feelings coursing through them with a small nod. Ginny's hand moved to the wound centered low from his ribcage to his hip. It was much larger than the first wound.

The muscle of Harry's abdomen jumped in response. He reached for Ginny's hand gently removing it. He placed a kiss to her palm and she continued to look at him in confusion.

"If you are the antidote perhaps we can deal with this later. I don't want you to try to take it all in too fast." When she made to object he looked pointedly at the people around them reminding her of their surroundings. "There are more..."

More wounds, where they couldn't see them. Ginny decided to respect Harry's wishes but silently vowed to deal with the wounds sooner rather than later.

"Are you in pain?" Hermione asked fixing him with a 'don't-lie-to me' stare that she had honed after many years of practice.

"A little," Harry admitted reluctantly. "But it's just normal post-crucio ache."

"Normal post-crucio ache..." Kingsley mumble wearily. These kids didn't even realize how strange they really were as they nodded their understanding in response to Harry.

"Um, Kingsley," Ginny said recapturing his attention. "I just wanted to let you know, that we're planning on taking some sort of...vacation...soon." Ginny said. "Just a little break from this all...and it will be the perfect opportunity for Harry to get some rest."

Harry made a face at her which she aptly ignored.

"Where are you going?" Tiberius asked.

"We don't know," Harry said happily. "Look, we haven't mentioned this to Ginny's parents yet...just wanted to give you a heads up. The trials are ending, soon it will be time to decide what we'll all be doing come September...I just need a little time."

"Of course," Kingsley replied trying to infuse his understanding. He could practically feel the guilt radiating from Harry. "In fact it sounds like a good idea to me. You are no use to us completely burnt out." He joked.

Harry rolled his eyes and stood up gingerly as he quickly re-buttoned his shirt.

"Come on, you're coming back to the burrow, no more banishment to Grimwauld Place," Ginny said linking herself to his good side.

"I can't believe your parents just let us go," Harry said turning his face into the warm sun.

Ginny giggled at the goofy look on his face. It was all scrunched up to ward off the brightness but he was also grinning. "Well I wouldn't say that...But I do think they are beginning to feel how tenuous their control of us really is..."

"What?"

"Well, come on Harry. You iare/i Harry Potter, you could easily support a...a family," the brightness of the day successfully hid Ginny's blush and thwarted Harry's attempt to catch her eye. "Well...you could if you wanted. The point is they are becoming aware that we have lives separate from them..."

Harry laughed. Ginny looked over at him inquisitively. "They have no idea," he said shaking his head before suddenly flipping from the towel on which he laid to straddle Ginny. He bent over peppering her neck with kisses. "You're family's opinion carries much more weight than they realize. Besides the fact that they are the closest thing to family I've ever known. Being close to your family is really important to you, so that makes their opinion important to me too."

Harry reached down and covered her lips with his own. "And you are right. I want a family. I want a family with you. Don't ever doubt it."

Ginny reached up framing his face with both her hands and kissed him in a way that elicited an immediate and involuntary moan from Harry. Harry responded by lowering his body to align more firmly with hers. Ginny smiled into the bright sun as Harry descended knowledgeably onto her neck.

A squeal of delight travelled to them over the sound of waves breaking over the sandy shore.

"Ronald!" Hermione yelled. Ginny pushed up slightly to see Ron holding Hermione out of the water before he tossed her into the air and she landed with a large splash. Ron's laugh reached all the way to the shore to Ginny's ears.

"You're brilliant, you know?" Harry asked suddenly.

"I do know, but what prompted this?" she asked before reaching her mouth to the juncture of his neck and shoulder. Harry's eyes fluttered a moment all thought lost.

"Because...because...don't play dumb. You bought Hermione that bathing suit didn't you?"

"And forced her to wear it," Ginny between kisses as she travelled up the column of his throat. She placed her mouth directly over where she could feel his racing pulse.

"Brilliant," he sighed. "I-I mean...Perfect way to distract...to distract..."

Ginny giggled. "Hmmm, distract..."

"To distract our chaperones..." Harry finally finished. When he noticed her lips vibrating with contained laughter at his neck, he decided to flip the tables on her.

"You know," he said moving his hands teasingly light in pressure up her ribs. "You're suit is quite fetching as well..." he said tracing the edges of it with his fingers dipping low into the valley between her breasts.

"Did you get it at the same place?" He asked.

"S-same place?" Ginny asked distracted as his mouth replaced the path of his hands.

"Yes, where you got Hermione's?"

"Who?" Now it was Harry's turn to laugh.

"Smart witch, curly hair, quotes books a lot..." He smirked. That caught Ginny's attention, he thought he was being smart.

His position above provide her hands room to maneuver and she took advantage of that letting her hand roam over his shoulders down the cords of his back slowly wrapping around again moving with a deliberately light caress over his ribs. As her hands flipped to massage through his firm pecks the urgency in his kiss exponentiated. Ginny's hands began a slow descent over the ridges of Harry's firm abdomen as if determined to not miss any inch of him. All words flew from Harry's mind as her hands reached the waist of his swim trunks flowing the shallow of his hips and dipping below.

Harry's lips wretched away from hers as he lifted his eyes to meet her.

"You are playing with fire," he warned before she could take it any further.

"Well then call me a pyro," she said grinning. "Because I like fire."

Harry laughed, loud and unabashedly before rolling to the side. He took a deep breath still feeling the affects of their...pyrotechnics. He turned to prop up on his elbow gazing at her. She mirrored the movement which did nothing to cool him down.

"Honestly," he breathed out. "I really like your swimsuit," he said his eyes roaming over the expanse of skin that her small two-piece revealed to him.

"Well then, it served its purpose," she replied. "Hermione's suit was to keep Ron's mind off us and my suit was to keep your mind off everything but us."

"Well then...success," he replied simply. Her responding smile did not falter though worry filtered through her eyes.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"Better, much better," he replied meeting her eye to convey the validity of his statement. "You know I like it here," he said watching the seagull pass overhead. Rolling hills made of sand, blue water with gentle waves and a nice breeze that kept them from getting uncomfortably warm, it was a perfect summer day. "I'm glad Hermione thought of it."

"Do they have to look at each other that way?" Ron whined Hermione as they came back dripping with cold water. Hermione ignored him as they approached Harry and Ginny. She reached into their bag and pulled out some oversized towels handing one to Ron.

"The water is great. You two have to go in," Hermione said before fluffing out her towel and laying to let the warm sun dry her off.

"I still can't believe that that is not an ocean," Ron said gesturing the grandeur of the lake before them and the sandy shore that continued further than the eye could see.

"Yeah it's nice here," Ginny said smiling. "What made you think of it Hermione?"

"Well, my parents once went to the states, Michigan actually, for a dental convention and they did nothing but rave about how amazing it was...I suspect they skipped most of that conference. When that article, "Harry On Holiday," came out in The Daily Prophet I figured we should go somewhere less...predictable," Hermione explained not seeing Ginny's imploring look.

"Wait, what?" Harry asked sitting up. "What are you talking about?"

"Oops," Hermione replied looking guiltily at Ginny.

"It's no big deal Harry really," Ginny said pulling on his arm to get him to recline again, but he wouldn't budge. "Okay, so word leaked that you would be MIA for awhile."

"Great," came Harry's sarcastic response.

"And well, there was a reward listed..." Ron said hesitantly.

"For what!" Harry demanded.

"Pictures...of you on vacation." Harry sunk back down onto the sand with a 'humph.'

"This is getting ridiculous," Harry finally replied.

"But it's okay," Ginny said soothingly. "That's why we are here in Michigan. Not the Bahamas or some other stereotypical choice. No one will come looking for us here. We are on a private beach in a predominately Muggle area. So please, relax."

"I am," Harry said through ground teeth. "Well I was," he admitted. "Getting away from all of that was a great idea. Come on," Harry said trying to pull a reluctant Ginny from her towel. "Let's go. I want to swim."

"But it's so nice right here," she said only allowing him to pull her part way up before she sunk back down.

Harry paused looking down at her a moment before picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her down to the lake. Ginny squealed half in surprise and half in protest as cold water splashed against her skin. As soon as Harry was deep enough he pulled Ginny down from his shoulder with a large splash.

She came up spluttering and stared at him in mock rage to which he responded with laughter before darting away when she took chase.

He took off zig-zagging and errantly wished he had some gilly-weed handy when he realized she was still gaining on him. The amount of time she must have spent in the lake by her house as a child became suddenly apparent when she quickly caught him. And just like anyone with six older brothers would have done, she grabbed the bottom of his swim trunks and tugged.

"Ginny!"

Hermione laughed shaking her head only guessing and what Ginny had done to make Harry yell like that.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Nothing," Hermione said sighing contentedly. Feeling his eyes on her she turned her head toward him. "I, it's just...nice...so nice to see him, the both of you really...relaxed. It's like old times."

"No, not like old times, even then Harry always had this...this cloud over him. This is a peak into what's to come." Ron finished looking pensively out over the lake.

"Yeah? And what's coming?" Hermione asked her voice barely caring to Ron's ears.

Ron sighed turning to face her. "Probably more work defending the new and fragile peace we've fought for...but...that's not really the point because no matter what, we'll be ready, because I know the ending I want and no one is going to take that from me." He said raising their joined hands to seal the promise with a kiss.

Ginny stifled a giggle with her hand slightly nudging Hermione to get her attention. Harry and Ron were asleep, completely and totally unconscious sprawled out on the chair and the couch respectively still wearing only their thankfully dry swim trunks.

"I think we wore them out," Ginny whispered shaking with suppressed laughter.

"Wasn't that the point?" Hermione asked smirking in amusement. "You know," Hermione whispered tilting her head slightly look at the boys. "For such relatively non-shallow females we certainly ended up with some rather attractive guys."

"Hmm," Ginny said nodding in agreement. The contrast of Harry's boyish innocence in sleep and his toned chest covered in various battle wounds struck her as incredibly sexy. A smirk slowly slid up Ginny's face as she remembered their time on the beach...in the water...back at their room in the cabin... Then she realized Hermione was doing exactly what she was doing...

"Stop checking out my brother Hermione!" Hermione just laughed rolling her eyes and allowed Ginny to grab her arm to tug her toward the kitchen. Hermione began rummaging through the shelves of their rented cottage.

"I still can't believe your parents agreed to let the four of us go off like this," Hermione said pulling a pan from the shelves.

"Well you are supposed to be me and Harry's chaperone," Ginny said.

"Well then whose chaperoning me and Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Oh please, Herm, you are the 'responsible' one," Ginny replied teasingly.

"If they only knew..." Hermione replied with a sly look over her shoulder before she reached for some food to fix from the fridge.

"I think the crux of it is this, if you were pregnant there would be a party in the Weasley's house and then a wedding of course. If I came home pregnant, Harry wouldn't leave alive."

"Well that hardly seems fair," Hermione protested.

Ginny shrugged. "Comes with the territory. Besides, this is a hypothetical conversation right?"

"Right," Hermione was quick to reply. "But..."

"But what?"

"I'm not sure you want to hear this."

"Hermione, if we can't talk to each other about this stuff who can we talk to?"

"Well...it may not be hypothetical for long."

"Really?" Ginny asked keeping the male lead of this scenario firmly out of her mind.

"I can't remember why we're still waiting..."

"Wow," Ginny paused a moment.

"What? What are you thinking?"

"Just remember, how fertile Weasley's are..."

"Ginny!"

"Well I'm not entirely sure that Ron or I were planned..." She said seriously, before her grin overtook her mock solemnity.

Hermione grabbed the wet rag from the sink and tossed it at Ginny inadvertently beginning a water fight in the kitchen.

"Hey!" Ron called leaning in the doorway. "Are you two cooking in here or what?"

Hermione turned her appreciative gaze to Ron before sauntering over to him to kiss him not so chastely.

"And that's my cue," Ginny muttered ducking out of the kitchen. She headed back to the living room and immediately climbed into the big chair with Harry, gently settling her weight on his and placing her head on his chest. She breathed in the smell of him thinking he had the right idea with a nap. She closed her eyelids, drifting, but then she felt his arms move around her sliding easily right under the skirt she had slid on over her bathing suit. His hand smoothed over her rear in a light caress before adding some pressure pulling her more firmly against his lap.

"Hmm," Ginny muttered as the movement brought about the most enticing friction. Harry's suddenly daring hand slipped under the edge of her swimsuit to caress her bare skin. She smiled into his neck where her head was still tucked and placed a soft kiss there before looking up wanting to see his eyes.

She almost laughed when she looked up to see his eyes still closed with a dreamy expression on his face. He was still sleeping. His hips lifted, apparently unconsciously to rub against her. Ginny bit her lip to keep suppress her moan. She was torn between wanting Harry to be awake and aware of what was happening and wanting to see what he'd do with his inhibitions dropped.

Ginny willing let his hand guide her motions and then slowly peppered kisses under his chin and over his face until she finally made it to his mouth. She slowly moved her lips over his, working slowly to coax his mouth open. She knew the exact moment when he woke up and started to respond in earnest.

He pulled away smiling. "What a spectacular way to wake-up."

"I tell you, if all of your dreams are this good," Ginny said running her hands over his shoulders and down his arms. She tilted her head back to allow Harry the access to her neck that he was silently demanding. "I'd much rather share yours than have my own."

She felt his responding smile against her neck. "My dreams are actually a bit...raunchier."

Ginny pushed back, a smirk breaking out on her face. "Raunchy eh Mr. Potter?" she asked tossing her hair back before descending her mouth to his bare chest. He hand tightened reflexively on her rear. Then he instantly withdrew his hand so quickly that Ginny stopped her ministrations to see what was wrong, only to find Harry's guilty face.

"Sorry," he mumbled not meeting her eye.

"Don't be, really...don't be."

"Really?" he asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Really," she mumbled before descending again. Harry's mind cleared as he absorbed all that Ginny was. Between the relief that getting away from wizarding society gave him and the unsettlement he felt during the weeks he and Ginny had spent separated trying to rebalance their connection Harry had almost forgotten how much he missed this. Just being with Ginny made so many things more bearable.

The sudden squawk announced the presence of two owls acting as unsuspecting voyeurs.

Ginny reluctantly clamored off Harry's lap at the site of twin owls with matching envelopes. The owls immediately dispersed dropping the envelopes in their respective owner's hands.

"Hogwarts seal," Harry said flipping the letter over and looking to Ginny for confirmation.

"Thicker than normal," she said ripping open the seal pulling out a stack of papers.

Harry slid back onto the couch reading the first of many papers. It seemed their suggestions had been taken to heart.

"Wow," Ginny said as she perused the stack of paper.

"Wow is right," Harry replied his brow furrowing as he flipped through the papers.

"Placement tests for each subject..." Ginny said reading from one of the sheets. "Extra evening studying sessions to help students get back on track for OWLs and NEWTs...and did you see this?" she asked softly lifting one of the pieces of parchments. "Correspondence courses, like Uni so you go to Hogwarts part-time take just the courses you need to prepare for your NEWTs."

Ginny sidled up to Harry comfortably melding to his side. She lay her head against his chest but still peered up to look at him. "How are they going to staff all this?" Ginny wondered absently. Harry chuckled and then handed her the paper he was currently reading. She took it peering at it questioningly.

"They want you to help with the extra OWL prep classes?" She asked after a quick perusal.

"It appears so..."

"McGonagall is brilliant," Ginny said suddenly with a grin.

Harry looked down at her in confusion. "Um yeah, but what do you mean?"

"iThe/i Harry Potter teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. What better way to get students to go to extra optional courses? Even Neville leading the Herbology reviews will bring in quite a crowd. And to have the session in the evenings only increases the feel that their joining some special club rather than a study group."

"You make it sound like the DA," Harry responded.

"No...McGonagall is making it seem like the DA. See what I mean? She's brilliant."

Harry laughed lightly tossing his head back to rest against the couch. He remained there with closed eyes but Ginny new he was far from resting. She slid her hand into his standing up.

"Come on, its dark out let's go light a fire and roast some marshmallows," she said pulling him to his feet.

Not even ten minutes later Harry and Ginny were wrapped up in a huge pile of sleeping bags and blankets just upwind of their bonfire. The summer night had cooled making the warmth of the fire a welcome embrace. Harry slid his arms around Ginny's waist from where she sat between his legs reclining against his chest. He smiled when she shifted against to get closer almost purring as she settled in.

"Ginny," Harry said softly pausing to look down into her expectant eyes. "I love you. This is perfect."

She smiled turning to kiss the underside of his jaw. "I love you too Harry." Was her only reply as she waited, patiently. She knew his mind was racing and she had faith that when he straightened out his thinking in his own head then he'd share his thoughts with her.

"Uh, Ginny?" Harry started tentatively. Ginny smiled a bit to herself. It seemed her patience was about to pay off. "What's going to happen next year?"

"What do you want to happen next year?" She felt him sigh as he contemplated.

"There's so much on the table. Hogwarts, The ministry, teaching, and then there's always just...leaving."

"Leaving?" Ginny asked the sharpness of her tone the result of her surprise.

"Yeah, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about just, going to ground. There is some appeal to just ducking under the radar for awhile and letting everyone else sort things out."

Ginny pulled out his arms and turned sharply to face him. "Everyone else?" she asked her tone hard.

Harry's eyes closed to block the hurt expression on her face. He swallowed hard against the emotion that felt like it was trying to crawl its way out of his throat. "I'm sorry," he breathed out before opening his eyes again. This time they were pleading with her. "I-I have wondered if it would be better for everyone if I just left, and took my baggage and enemies with me."

Ginny's face softened as she wondered how long she was going to have to fight with his tendency to blame himself for everything.

"But..." he continued. "I don't think I i_could/i_ do it, leave I mean, even if I really thought that's what would be for the best. And that scares me, if I can't let you go even if I knew for sure it would keep you safer, than what kind of selfish bastard does that make me?"

"Harry," Ginny said reaching out to put her hand on his cheek. "If you really thought leaving would work, would make me safer and happier, you would leave. I know that all too well. You've done it before. But it's different now," she moved her hand to his lips to silence his protests. "Yes, we're still fighting. Yes, there are still people who want you dead. We have to face the facts, that may i_never/i_ change. But deep down you know that leaving would not change any of that. Leaving would only hurt those around you."

Ginny moved closer still framing his face in both her hands. "Don't you try to convince yourself that I'm better off without you." She said moving to whisper in his ear. "I don't just need you Harry Potter." She ducked her head to kiss his pulse point where the acceleration of his heart beat was visible. "I want you. I want you in my life. Don't ever forget that." Harry pulled her to him fiercely possessively taking her mouth. Ginny immediately responded matching his intensity. Fleetingly she thought, she may have awoken a sleeping dragon when Harry suddenly flipped her and pressed his weight down upon her.

"I don't ever want to leave you," he said breathlessly between kisses.

"Then don't," she replied before recapturing his lips. Harry cast a quick shield over them before letting himself get lost in the sensation of all that is Ginny.

"Mmm," Ron said sliding his hands around Hermione's waist pulling her back flush against his chest and nuzzling her neck. "I'm dating the Head Girl," he murmured in awe. She giggled turning in his arms.

"What?" He asked at her pointed look. "If anyone ever, was perfect for the Head Girl position, if anyone ever deserved it it's you. I always pictured you as Head Girl and...I hoped that we would be more than friends by the time that happened."

"Me too," she responded softly. "I even imagined, on occasion, using some of the advantages of being Head Girl to...to you know...enjoy some after hours activity."

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed with mock indignation. "Using your power for personal gain..."

She giggled at his playful teasing. Before the smile slide off her face. "You're not going back are you? To Hogwarts I mean."

Ron sighed. "Just as I always knew you'd go back full-time I also knew I couldn't... Maybe I'll take some NEWT classes, I don't know. Right now, I-I just need...I think my place is with George." He looked down into Hermione's understanding face. "But you need to go back. It's where you belong. That school needs you, as much as George needs me. They need someone at Hogwarts that understands, who is willing to un-teach all the horrible stuff they were taught last year. They'll respect you. And you love school, it's the path you belong on."

"You're right, but it doesn't make the prospect of time apart anymore appealing."

"Well are you a witch or not?" Ron asked giving her a small smirk. "It's not like the commute will be a problem. Between apparition and floo we'll still be able to see each other. I can't imagine McGonagall would try to keep us apart. Plus say you sneak off to London to join me one night...what's she going to do, expel you?"

Hermione slapped his arm in half-hearted indignation. "Sneak off to spend the night with you Ronald Weasley. That's a bit presumptuous don't you think?"

Hermione let Ron splutter incoherently for only a few moments before silencing him with a kiss. "I don't think that it's presumptuous at all, as a matter of fact," she said as his eyebrows rose.

She sauntered down the hall toward where their room was located before turning over to look at him coyly over her shoulder. "Coming?" she asked with a smile he knew she kept only for him. The focused look of intent in his eyes as Ron got up to slowly follow her was a look she'd never forget.

"How can anyone be so soft?" He murmured absently tracing his hand up over her knee treading lightly over her thigh.

Ginny giggled from where she lay spooned into Harry's side.

"Is it magic?" he asked.

"Did you drink too much butterbeer?" she countered. It was his turn to reply with laughter.

"I'm serious," he replied. "Do you use some sort of potion?"

She giggled again. "Why don't you just leave a witch to her secrets, hmm?"

"Hmm," he said thinking as he shifted slightly to prop himself up on his elbow so he could see her better. "Some secrets perhaps, but other things should be shared," he said vaguely moving his hand through her hair gently.

"Like...?"

"Like what you are thinking about in terms of this coming September."

She sighed staring still at the glowing embers of the fire. "Thinking about going back to Hogwarts after everything is...hard. I'm not sure I want to deal with the issues all that going back will bring up, all the memories...So much has happened at Hogwarts, the best and worst of my memories are there." She smiled suddenly. "Our first kiss." But just as quickly the smile disappeared as if it had never been. "And Hogwarts is where I was for the horrible length of time when I thought you were dead...Voldemort is all over that place and all over my memories," she continued with a shudder. "But the DA and Quidditch and the memories of _our_ beginning are all there too." She sighed again shaking her head.

Harry just continued his soft caress of her hair as she talked out the emotions that were churning inside her.

"Plus my mum would freak if I told her I wasn't going to go back...and I don't know if I could do that to her right now."

"But, this choice ultimately has to be about you, not your parents or...me," Harry finished sheepishly.

Ginny nodded her agreement.

"What about Quidditich?" Harry asked suddenly as if it had been on the tip of his tongue for a while.

"What about it?" Ginny asked a little defensively.

He gave her a pointed looked. "Do you still have hopes of playing...professionally I mean?"

"How did you know that?" She asked slightly surprised.

"I don't think you realize how much time I spend observing you. I've heard you mention the Holyhead Harpies on more than one occasion. Plus...I've seen you play. You can't hide passion like that..."

She turned swiftly in his arms kissing him slowly and throughly. "I guess I'm a bit surprised...with everything that's was going on in your life then. I just figured your mind would have been elsewhere..."

Harry laughed. "If you had any idea just how often my thoughts were on you..."

She pushed him on his back then, tossing her long hair over her shoulder before descending onto his mouth. He allowed her to distract him for several deliciously long minutes before gently pulling back.

"You didn't answer my question," he said reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. She sighed resting her head against his chest.

"Yes, I still think about playing..." she propped her chin up on his chest to look at his expression.

"I think that's great Ginny," Harry replied with enthusiasm.

"You do?" she asked sounding unsure.

"Yeah, you love the game and...well the game loves you too. You'd be great."

"You really think I could do it?" He smiled looking down at her to meet her eyes.

"Yes," he stated emphatically. "I think you can." She held his sure gaze for a moment before smiling and resting her head once more. "But that means Hogwarts, that's where you can train and that's where you'll get recruited."

"I know," she replied. "I guess...I-I can't really imagine not going back."

Harry's smile faltered. "And I can't imagine going back."

"The ministry?" she asked softly and felt more than saw him nod.

"I think that's where I belong and now that I know there is a way to get my NEWTs, albeit it may take awhile, but that I can still keep working...that I can help out...without special treatment...the choice seems clearer."

"So come September..." Ginny started.

"You'll be off to Hogwarts and...I will be in London...We can make this work right?" he asked almost pleading with her.

"We may have to get creative...I don't think we _can_ go that long away from each other. And," she said with a sudden crooked smile. "you may have to get used to the idea of using your 'savior' status to bend some rules."

"I think for as just a cause as this I can manage something...plus if I'm there part-time and teaching...tutoring or whatever I'm sure they'll be willing to accommodate me."

"Anything for i_The/i _Harry Potter," Ginny replied with exaggerated fawning.

He growled at her mocking tone before reaching up rolling her until he lay above her.

Lucky for him, Ginny loved his playful side and was more than willing to play along. She reached up pulling his head down to meet hers and kissed him running her tongue across his bottom lip before pulling it in to her mouth and then slowly releasing it through her teeth. Harry groaned deeply in response, liberated by their location and shield charms. He reached down his hand moving teasingly down her hip playing with the edge of her skirt and the soft skin there that had enticed him earlier. His hand continued it quest to her knee and at the gentlest pull of his hand she understood what he wanted and quickly obliged hitching her leg up around his hip.

He was setting her on fire. This Harry was less restrained then he had been as of late. All she could think was i_Don't Stop/i._

"Oh I have no intention of stopping," Harry mumbled traveling down to her neck. So when Ginny pulling back abruptly stopping and stared at him in alarm and confusion he was more than a little surprised.

"Well I mean of course, unless, you want to...I didn't mean...don't think..." Ginny silenced him with a kiss taking away his worried, breathless, words.

"Harry," she said taking a deep breath. "Why did you say that?" she asked calmly.

"What? I just meant...Ginny," he sounded distressed so she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair lovingly and continued to wait patiently. He sighed. "Well you said, don't stop, and I just wanted you to know that...I was on the same page...enjoying this as much as you..." he trailed off uncertainly but Ginny kissed him quelling his concern that he had said something to upset her.

"I didn't," Ginny said slowly. "I didn't say anything...I only thought it," she finished watching him cautiously. "Have you been studying Legilimency?"

"Well, no...plus that usually requires eye contact," Harry replied offhandedly. "You're sure you didn't say anything?"

"My mouth was otherwise occupied...as I'm sure you remember."

Harry looked down at her sheepishly. "Oh, uh yeah right."

She looked at him with deep focus, her eyebrows contracting with effort.

"What?" he asked confused.

"You heard nothing?" she asked.

"Of your thoughts?" he asked incredulously. "No, nothing." Harry rolled onto his side thankful for the large cushion of blankets and sleeping bags they had set up outside. He loved the way the dying fire lit up Ginny's face even though now it only served to highlight her concern.

"Maybe..." he started and Ginny turned to him hopefully. "Maybe it's like before. It's always taken...heightened emotion to spark anything new with our connection, at least that's how it's always worked at first."

"Yeah," Ginny said sitting up. "Heightened emotions..." Harry sat up too leaning into to peer at her face. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear so he could better see her face.

"This upsets you," he said. "That I might be able to hear your thoughts." Harry's attempt to sound unaffected by this did not prevent Ginny from hearing the hurt in his tone.

"No," Ginny said in automatic denial wanting to assuage Harry's sudden insecurity. "I mean...I guess I'm just a little embarrassed...accidentally projecting my thoughts to you...and I'm just," she sighed again gesturing her hands uselessly. "This connection stuff...it's a little daunting." She looked up then into his eyes that were scant centimeters from her and saw only understanding there.

"I know," he said holding her gaze. "But it's like you said...you were projecting your thoughts. At least I didn't accidentally barge in there unannounced."

Her small laugh was evidence that his comment had had its desired effect.

"Which means we can probably learn to control it. So I wouldn't be privy to all of your thinking," Harry continued trying to be reassuring.

"It wouldn't be so bad if you could," she said ignoring his disbelieving look. "Honest, it's not like there are a lot of things I don't share with you."

"I know this link only seems to grow more and more complicated and the fact that it is somehow linked to both the physical and emotional aspects of our relationship only makes things harder... As if a relationship with me doesn't have enough obstacles," Harry said revealing his self-deprecating nature.

Ginny grabbed his face with both her hands a little more roughly than necessary and then placed a sound kiss on his surprised lips. "It's complicated yes and so is your life...but if it means we can have this," she said gesturing vaguely between the two of them. "It seems more than a fair price to pay. Plus...this connection has already saved our lives and on more than one occasion."

Ginny tucked herself under Harry's arm snuggling silently with him. The once roaring fire had died down, leaving just the final glowing embers, remnants of the once powerful flames, the hardest part of the fire to extinguish.

"Our last night away," Ginny said wistfully.

"I know how you feel, reality has come crashing back in..."

The fire pit popped as the embers within relentlessly fought to maintain their glow, their strength.

"It feels like the calm before the storm," Ginny said into the stillness of the night. She snuggled still closer to Harry as the warmth the fire had provided died away. "It's like a part of me feels calm and content right here, right now, in this moment..."

"...But the other part knows the moment won't last, and is gearing up for what's to come," Harry completed.

They shared a look of concern before a reassuring kiss replaced it. Whatever was to come, they'd be facing it together.


	21. Tempest

Part XXI - Tempest

Ginny's hand slid over Harry's back reassuringly. "Everything's set," she said calmly. "Navier spoke with Hermione this morning; all the security precautions that we talked about have been implemented. The press is ready and waiting...not so patiently. You ready for this?" She spoke all of this softly because, even now, in the small office they were in at the Ministry, they were surrounded by eager Aurors and cautious friends.

Harry's nervous eyes met hers. A press conference, the last place in the world he wanted to be right now. The Press Secretary, Pierre Navier, seemed in his element practically bouncing with excitement. Harry wondered if his surface dislike of the man was stemmed from Harry's reluctance to accept the prominence the press wanted him to have. But Ginny and Hermione had coordinated this with Navier and convinced Harry of its necessity. All he had to do was answer only the questions he wanted to answer. Give them a little truth to print so they would stop making up lies and tracking him in desperation for something to print. Thinking about it reminded him of the conversation he had had with Ginny on their first day back from vacation.

"You know, in theory," she had said. "The press doesn't have to be such a horrible thing. Just think of how often things would have been better if there was an honest dependable news source out there. Like Potterwatch that...well it did a lot of good I think."

The passion in her voice was readily apparent, especially to Harry.

"Have you ever thought of journalism?" he asked her unexpectedly.

"Journalism, like writing...No, not really, not with great role models like Rita Skeeter."

"But it's like you said, it wouldn't have to be like that. You could do like 'investigative-find-the-truth-and-share-it-with-the-wizarding-world'-type journalism...or sports coverage...Something has to come after you take the Quidditch world by storm," Harry had finished whispering into her ear. Harry had watched as her expression turned reflective seriously considering the idea he presented.

"Harry?" Ginny's soft voice brought him back to the present.

"Right," he said pulling her hand into his own. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." And with that Harry gestured to the Aurors nearest him to lead the way out. As they entered the room, a cacophony of sound broke out followed by jarring flashes of light.

Harry's hand tensed pulling Ginny closer to him on their way up to a long table lined with chairs.

As the party sat down, the noise level seemed to augment instead of diminish. Harry turned to Ginny and whispered in her ear. "If you do ever decide to be a journalist can you keep in mind that no answer can ever be heard if all anyone ever does is shout questions."

Ginny laughed softly in response. The repetitious flashing of light increased in a frequency that was directly proportional to how physically close they drew. Ginny resisted the urge to test this observation by kissing him and only by a slim margin did she manage not to move closer yet.

Instead Ginny leaned away from the proximity Harry's whispering had brought them to, and leaned slightly forward toward the press as if she was going to whisper conspiratorially with them. "He's not going anywhere," she said softly, effectively silencing their questions as they desperately tried to catch her every word; "At least not for now. So, if you'd all just relax, maybe we could get started."

Ron, on Harry's right, was laughing outright now while Hermione, slightly more composed, put a restraining hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Right," Pierre Navier said addressing the press. "Questions will be asked one at a time, and there are no promises of a response if the question is deemed inappropriate."

For a short moment there was silence and then one brave reporter asked the question they all were dying to ask.

"How did you do it, Harry? How did you defeat the Dark Lord?"

Harry sighed taking in the now silent and avid audience watching him with quills posed and camera's flashing. He ran a hand hastily through his hair and averted his gaze from the crowd before answering.

"Tom Riddle was his given name, he renamed himself Lord Voldemort to build fear. Don't let him get his way from beyond the grave. The man is gone for good and there is no need to fear the dead."

Quills fluttered quickly over parchment, as they tried desperately to capture Harry's words. The use of the quick quotes quill had been band, one of Hermione's ideas.

"The answer to your question is long, and complicated..." Harry said running a hand over his face as the true answer to their question played rapidly in his mind's eye. The mental slide show of photos summarized the last year of his life with unflinching honesty and frankness. Harry rolled his shoulders to release the tension being in the spotlight always yielded.

"Or perhaps," Harry continued. "The answer is simple. I defeated Riddle by seeking help and receiving it from the people around me. I could have never have finished Riddle if it hadn't been for the people you see here," Harry finished gesturing to Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

"Could you explain what role they played?" Another reporter asked timidly.

"Uh, sure," Harry said shoving a nervous hand through his hair again.

"Um, on the end there is Hermione Granger. From the time I faced Riddle in our first year straight through until the very end, Hermione fought with me. She was the brains and the reason...still is, actually..." He smiled at her in gratitude. "Next to her is Ron Weasley."

"Harry Potter's _first_ friend," Ron interjected with an exaggerated puff of his chest. Harry rolled his eyes at Ron's antics. He was pretty sure the girls had charged him with the task of lightening up the conversation whenever it grew too heavy.

"True," Harry conceded. "Ron is...It's sort of strange to talk this way about your best mate..." Harry said with a sigh. "Ron has always been ready to back me up no matter what ridiculous situation I found myself in... The three of us spent most of last year on the run, working on our... strategy to take down Voldemort. It was... difficult."

Harry's knack for the understatement had Ron, Hermione and Ginny laughing in response.

"It was difficult, but it would have been impossible alone," Harry finished quietly. Ron reached out and clapped a hand on both Harry's and Hermione's shoulders with a grin.

"I'm never camping again," he said effectively fulfilling his role.

"And what about Miss Weasley?" A reporter asked, eyelids fluttering flirtatiously at Harry. "What role did she play?"

"Ginny was a member of the DA and helped us all escape Death Eaters in our 5th year, and she was at Hogwarts this last year continuing the DA's efforts to stand up for what's right," Ron supplied succinctly.

This seemed to wind up the reporters a bit as questions about the DA and Hogwarts were flung at them. But a confident female voice cut through the rest of the questions. "But, Mr. Potter, we were asking what Miss Weasley did to help _you_ in your quest to vanquish the...I mean stop Tom Riddle."

It was her acquiescence to Harry's earlier statement that prompted him to answer her question and ignore the others.

"Ginny... well, she gave me something worth fighting for, she helped me remember _why _ I fought. I was not forced to go after and work to finish Riddle. I _chose_ to fight him and what he stood for. And I chose it because I had something that was worth living for... or perhaps something worth dying to protect. Without that," Harry said, his focus slipping to the past and away from the present. "Without that, I would not have been able to do what needed to be done to finish Voldemort."

Ginny squeezed Harry's hand beneath the table; she looked at him, her eyes filled with emotion, but no tears were in sight, as usual, for which Harry was thankful.

"I hope you can take a moment to appreciate how candid Harry is being. It's not easy for him, but he is trying to be truthful to you all. Perhaps you should consider that next time you are thinking of printing something of which you have no proof...Or the next time you decide to offer people a reward for stalking him..." Hermione interjected.

Harry smiled to himself. Hermione's glare would make McGonagall proud. And it seemed to get the point across judging by the awkward fidgeting and guilty expressions.

And so it continued, some questions light, some dark. They questioned them about their childhood and Hogwarts. Harry let the others fill in these types of details and remained relatively quiet until they brought up Snape.

"To think that Severus Snape was actually Headmaster," one reporter said with disdain. "Snape's grudge against you, Harry, just because of who your father was, was well known. How did you feel about him becoming Headmaster, and how do you feel to know they are actually considering putting his portrait up in the Headmaster's office?"

Harry looked up at them sharply. "Severus Snape was one of the greatest Headmasters Hogwarts has ever had." The sudden sharpness of his tone surprised almost everyone in the room. "Snape resented me for what I represented to him, the unfortunate course his life had taken and what could have been. Professor Snape did everything he could to keep me alive... not happy, but alive. I was his personal purgatory. If I can understand and forgive his transgressions against me, then certainly you can too. He had a hard life and an even harder death."

Harry sighed. He wondered if they would ever understand the strength and bravery it took to do what Snape had done. He couldn't help but feel it was partly his responsibility to explain it. As sad as it was, Harry knew Snape better than anyone alive. Suddenly, he wondered if anyone had bothered planning a funeral for the man, familiar guilt swept through him, he had never asked.

"Severus Snape was born into certain circumstances, and life at Hogwarts only reinforced some of the horrible things he was taught. He is the perfect example of how no one can blame their upbringing. Snape, at great personal risk, defected from the Death Eaters, and then began to work as a double agent. He worked the last eighteen years of his life toward fighting the good fight while the whole world thought him a villain. And last year he did all he could to protect the students at Hogwarts, even though they had no idea that he was on their side." Harry paused again, calmed by Ginny's soft hand running reassuringly over his leg. She knew how complicated his feelings towards Snape were.

"His portrait should go up. He deserves that," Harry said resolutely.

"After we print that statement, I'm sure the portrait will be up before the end of the day," the humbled reporter responded.

"But now, what about a more happy topic," Rita Skeeter interjected. "We heard you four just got back from a romantic vacation...Do we have any wedding bells or perhaps baby bumps to be looking forward to?"

The girls turned an indignant face toward Rita Skeeter rethinking their decision to let her in. They didn't want to seem like they were buying good press, and banning as vocal a reporter as Rita Skeeter would have made it far too easy for her to claim that she'd had information they didn't want her to share.

"As far as details on our relationships go," Ron said surprising them all. "There is only one thing we will tell you, and frankly only one thing you need to know. Hermione and I are together as are Harry and my sister. And none of us are looking for an alternative."

He'd be well rewarded for that comment, Ginny thought, watching the way Hermione smiled in approval.

"Lately you've been getting a lot of press for the attacks against you and for the strange magic you've used to protect yourself against these attacks. Do you have any idea who's behind the attacks? And, where did you learn the strange magic we've been seeing?"

"Right now, we don't know if these attacks are the result of a singular group or the acts of desperate individuals," Harry responded wearily. "The attack at Gringotts was not Death Eater related. The man who attacked me was... insane with grief. He was bitter and angry at me, but he was no Death Eater. The attacks at the Hogwarts memorial and then later in China, and even the Carrow's attack on Ginny in the courtroom may have been connected or may not be. We're still working it out. The best bet is to keep collecting Death Eaters and hosting fair trials. We'll get to the bottom of this soon."

Harry contemplated what he had just said as Ginny fielded some questions about their relationship and downplayed their magical connection. They had discussed earlier how they would downplay their link, but it meant exaggerating Harry's abilities a bit. Harry was not so comfortable with pretending the stuff his connection with Ginny had allowed him to do was the result of his "vast" experience and talent. So he let Ginny handle it not able to tear his thoughts from the pattern of attacks, something was nagging at his consciousness.

The attack at Hogwarts had been the first; it had brought his connection to Ginny into light. Attacking her had provoked him, and in his desperation he had turned deep within himself in order to find a way to protect her. But how had the attack even been possible? Yes, Hogwarts's security measures were at an all time low, but still it seemed they would have needed an inside man to coordinate their attack the way they did.

And then there was China. The Dark Order followers had _known_ where they'd be. It was an intermediate Portkey, a short stop on their way to Australia... something that had been leaked to the press...

And then they'd gone after Ginny. Someone within the Ministry had loosened the Carrows' bonds and allowed them to attack her... they had tried to take her away...

Harry looked up to see the face of Pierre Navier. He looked... smug, anticipatory perhaps, but calm... like this event was going exactly as planned.

Slowly, the dark tendrils of dread spread from the center of Harry's chest slowly taking him over. Navier was the one who had asked so many questions about Voldemort's body, wanting to know if he could be somehow revived. He had been a part of organizing the Hogwarts memorial, helped arrange their travel plans, which he could have easily leaked to the press. He had known when Ginny would be in the courtroom, he had urged Harry to go upstairs and leave her alone... And he had organized this event...

Harry slid his wand into his hand under the table trying to figure a way out of this room before whatever he was sure Navier had planned could come to pass.

"_Portus." _ Was the only whispered warning. Harry reached out desperately to grab Ginny's hand trying to form their connection and pull her away from Navier, whose hand was reaching for her chair. Harry had barely grasped her fingertips when suddenly her hand was yanked from his as she popped out of existence taking her entire chair and Navier with her as she went.

"NO!" Harry screamed climbing to his feet, but a flash of movement on his other side captured his attention. One of the supposed reporters had pulled his wand out as well. Harry whipped a stunning spell around Ron and Hermione, which effectively stopped the man from whatever spell he was about to throw at Hermione.

And then all hell broke loose. The entire back line of reporters engaged what was clearly their pre-assigned mark in a wand duel. Even with the Aurors lined up behind the table they were outnumbered.

"Incarcerous!" Harry yelled using his non-wand arm to vault himself over the table and into the action.

He felt a tug, a gnawing deep at his core, Ginny's pull. He was distracted for the briefest of moments, trying to see if he could gleam a location from the sensation. At the last second, he saw the spell speeding toward him as he spun to dodge it, but it still managed to graze his shoulder, searing his flesh. The sickly sound of his burning, sizzling skin reached his ears far too easily from where the spell had hit his shoulder. Ignoring the way the smell of his own burning flesh turned his stomach, Harry counterattacked the assailant with a full body bind.

From behind something hard hit him. He fell to the ground with an umph before realizing the hard thing that had hit him had been Ron. Above his head, the tell-tale streak of red flashed. Harry rolled quickly to his back and shot another stunner at the man who tried to kill him. Ron was already on his feet and moved to take out one of the three attackers surrounding Hermione. At precisely the right moment, Hermione ducked and allowed her remaining two assailants to take each other out.

She whipped sending her hair flying just in time to throw a shield in front of one of the Aurors, who was being attacked from behind. The actual reporters moved hastily out of the way, quickly pressing their backs against the walls. They watched in horror and awe as they saw the trio in action. Harry seemed to have a sixth sense about his attackers, knowing when he could catch them off guard, knowing when they were trying to catch him off guard. His left hand was clenched around the wands he had already managed to Expelliarmus into his possession. At his feet was the carnage, five immobile bodies, evidence of Harry's efficiency.

Their attackers were retreating, but Harry persistently pursued them, running out of the room and down the hall shouting at bystanders to get out of his way. When they reached the bustling atrium, the options of curses diminished greatly. Crowds were always the biggest advantage for Death Eaters. They did not fear hurting innocent bystanders, but they knew their opponent would, and that hesitation provided them with a huge advantage. Leaving a wake of injured and startled people, the remaining attackers pushed their way to the fireplaces and disappeared right before Harry's eyes.

Harry dropped his hands to his knees trying to catch his breath, still gripping the handful of wands he had confiscated during the attack. Not again; this could not be happening, was all he could think. People were beginning to crowd around him as others moved to help those who had been caught in the crosshairs.

Suddenly Harry fell to the floor with a wail. Pain assaulted his senses. But the pain was not from his shoulder. It wasn't coming from _him_ at all. The crowd huddled closer in concern. Harry gritted his teeth trying to block the feeling out. He saw someone drop into his line of sight. In the disorientation the pain brought him, all he could make out was the simple silhouette of her curly hair.

"Harry?" she said breathlessly. "What's wrong? Have you been cursed? Is it your shoulder?"

"No," he managed without unclenching his teeth. "It's Ginny," he said. His crazed eyes met hers in panic.

"Come on," Ron said lifting Harry by his good shoulder. "We need to go back and find Kingsley." He helped Harry struggle to his feet. The crowd around them, however, remained immobile. "Move," Ron ordered with such venom that his request was immediately granted.

He and Hermione practically dragged Harry back to the scene of the attack. Aurors were in the process of cleaning-up. Kingsley, having just arrived, was demanding information from those who were receiving the aid of the healers.

"Harry!" Kingsley called when he saw the trio re-enter the room.

"They got away," Harry said, despair the most prevalent emotion in his voice. The Aurors in the room all stopped what they were doing to stare at him. "It was Navier," he said, his voice eerily calm, devoid of emotion. "Navier was the inside man. He planned this." The resulting silence was deafening. Harry's eyes were crazed, contradicting the calm in his tone. His arms were shaking inside his torn shirt. His fist clenched and unclenched around four wands he had taken during the attack.

Kingsley and Robards, the Head of the Auror Department, were uncharacteristically motionless, somehow sensing the explosion that was to come.

"HE MADE AN ILLEGAL PORTKEY RIGHT IN FRONT OF A WHOLE ROW OF AURORS. THEY HAVE _HER_!_" _His scream was violent. The majority of the room flinched.

"They're already _torturing_ her!" He said staring at the infuriatingly immobile men.

"Harry," Hermione interjected her tears apparent in her voice. "You have to calm down; we have to find her."

"Don't you think I know that?" Harry yelled back. He turned suddenly to the stunned man on the floor.

"Enervate," he said focusing his wand on the man.

As soon as the man's eyes opened Harry pointed his wand at his chest. The man stayed kneeled on the floor. "Where did they take her?" He glowered. The man gulped with obvious fear.

"If they've left with her, it's already too late," he replied replacing his fear with a taunt.

For one horrible moment Hermione thought Harry was about to unleash an unforgivable curse at the man, but instead he lowered his wand arm slightly and heaved his opposite arm over in a startling fast left hook. The man's head whipped to the side before he came back up, this time covered in his own blood.

Ron came up behind Harry grabbing his shoulder, which Harry simply shrugged off.

"Where's the Veritaserum?" he asked the room at large.

"I have it, Harry," Robards said calmly approaching him and placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "You need to step back now."

Harry's furious expression would have made anyone else retreat in fear, but Robards held his ground. "Take one step back and listen to the interrogation while the healer attends to your shoulder, or I will have to have you escorted out."

Harry stared at him for the briefest of seconds, weighing his options, but he had no time to waste arguing, and certainly he didn't want to waste time fighting off the good guys, so he took a deliberate step back and tore the remainder of his sleeve off to give the healer access to the vicious burn on his shoulder, all while giving Robards a pointed look which screamed for him to proceed.

Harry ignored the healer and pushed back the mounting pain he was receiving from Ginny as well as the anguish he felt knowing the kind of pain and fear she must be feeling.

With practiced ease Robards forced the Veritaserum down the assailant's throat.

"Where did they take Ginny Weasley?" Robards asked roughly.

The main laughed displaying his blood stained teeth. "They aren't stupid enough to tell any of us that."

"Who are they? Who took her?"

The man struggled, clamping his mouth shut. For a horrible second, Ron thought the man was going to bite off or swallow his own tongue.

"The Dark Order."

"Who? I want names," Robards was efficient never breaking eye contact with the man.

"Navier." He snapped his mouth shut audibly, but his efforts were no match for the truth potion.

"Dolohov, Sewlyn, Scabbior...the rest kept their identity a secret." For the first time since he went down, the man felt relief. If you gave up Death Eaters identities, you better hope you will soon be dead or in the hands of the Ministry. Azkaban was safer than the resulting retaliation from fellow Death Eaters.

"What is their plan?" Kingsley asked his eyes narrowing as the man struggled to remain silent.

"What is their PLAN!" Harry interjected pulling himself out of the healer's grasp.

The man flashed Harry a gruesome smirk. "Capture your whore in the hopes of weakening you. They want to make you suffer, kill you and then reinstate the old regime. Seems like they're off to a pretty good start."

Ron jumped in front of Harry, his back to the evil man on the floor, making it impossible for Harry to fire a curse without hitting Ron. Harry huffed in frustration, but did not lower his wand.

"Get out of the way, Ron," Harry said; his rage made it impossible to hear the continuation of Robards and Kingsley's interrogation.

"No," Ron said only moving closer to Harry. His voice was low and serious. "You _have/i_ to calm down. You have to get it under control. My _sister_ needs you. You can't lose it right now. We need you at your best. Ginny needs you," he finished giving Harry a small shake. Hermione watched her boys carefully, ready to step in if necessary. She saw the moment the rage drained from Harry's face, despair flooded into its vacancy.

"I _can't_ lose her," he said softly, his voice breaking.

"I know, mate."

Hermione came up to the two of them tossing her arms around both of them. "We just need to _think._"

Harry looked around at all the unknown faces surrounding them. The reporters were still huddled off to the side; no one had been allowed to leave the room. In the confusion, who knew if any of the Death Eaters had slipped into their ranks.

Kingsley and Robards approached the trio with caution, relieved to find Harry more himself. "We're not going to get any more information out of him. We'll continue to interrogate the others, but it doesn't look good. We've got our best tracers trying to find the Portkey's destination. But they probably took several intermediate Portkeys so that tracing would be incredibly time consuming."

Harry let this information sink in. He felt like is brain was actually working again. He leaned in to whisper to their small huddle. "We have no way of knowing who in this room is on the right side here. Navier organized this whole event..."

"The plan is to weaken me...weaken me for an attack. Someone must be planted to attack right?"

"Will just separating you two have an effect?" Kingsley asked giving the room a careful study.

"No," Harry said. "A couple weeks ago it would have, but just physical separation will not weaken me...us now. At least it would take weeks of separation to cause a physical weakening. But..." Harry ground his teeth trying to block the phantom pain. "They are hurting her. I need to send magic to her to help her fight... that will weaken me... substantially."

"Harry, you can't. That's what they want you to do," Robards replied roughly.

"Or," Hermione interjected. "They must have known you would capture some if not most of the attackers and they planted this information in an attempt to stop Harry from aiding Ginny."

"Why would they do that?" Ron asked.

"To make it easier to hurt her," Harry said emotionlessly. "I can't take the risk that Hermione is right. Plus, it is taking everything in me not to send her _all_ of my energy, or magic, or whatever." He ignored their protests. "The point is, we need to get out of here. If the plan is a second attack, this is not the smartest place for us to stay."

"Okay, you're right," Robards replied. "We'll stay here and continue the interrogations. Where will you head?"

"The Burrow," Ron replied. "I'm sure my family has lost it by now. Ginny's clock hand must have fallen back to mortal peril. Besides, The Burrow is still protected."

Kingsley nodded and Robards looked confused. Harry fell to his knees; his face was the picture of anguish as he tried to suppress his need to scream in pain. "Ginny," he gasped out shaking with pain.

Hermione and Ron shared a panicked look. The pain Harry shared with Ginny through their connection could just as easily be the Death Eater's plan to weaken Harry.

"Let's get him out of here," Ron said to Hermione.

"Send Tiberius Ogden," Hermione said urgently as she and Ron manually pulled Harry toward the nearest office with an emergency Apparition point. "We need him right away!"

* * *

The bright whiteness was disorienting. She blinked rapidly against the jarring light. Pain came a few moments later. It came suddenly, the immediate return of the pain her adrenaline had initially kept at bay. She groaned before she could register anything else.

"Ah, good," a voice came sneering as it echoed off the walls of infinite height. "It seems our little guest has decided to join us."

Ginny pushed herself to her feet, grabbing her head as the dizziness hit her. She reached automatically to the pocket where she always kept her wand...of course it wasn't there. The laughter that echoed informed Ginny that she was surrounded. Finally her head stopped spinning and her world righted herself.

Right in front of her was Pierre Navier. The man that everyone ignored. No one liked him, but no one spared him much more than a passing sigh of irritation. In a way, he reminded her of Snape. It was like it was almost too easy to suspect him of nefarious activities. He fit the Death Eater profile too well, like Snape had. But unlike Snape, Navier was exactly as he appeared: A hateful man who wanted nothing more than to promote his own interest at the expense of everyone else.

"Finally;" another voice called out. The anticipation in his voice did nothing to quell Ginny's fear. She turned toward the voice, ignoring the slow trickle of blood down her neck. She must have hit her head, that would explain the dizziness...or perhaps it was more likely that her head was struck judging by the murderous looks of what could only be Death Eaters surrounding her from all sides. The excitement in their eyes was warning enough. She didn't have to hear the yell of "Crucio" to know more pain was coming.

She fell back to the cold, impossibly cold, ground. The slick, shocking feel of ice that covered the ground below did nothing to distract her from the overwhelming pain. Unconsciousness opened its arms to her and Ginny slipped willingly into its comforting embrace.

* * *

Soon, too soon, the pain was returning. This time there was no blissful moment of reprieve, just pain.

"Come on," a heavily-accented female voice ground out. "You have to keep her conscious, you sadistic fools. Have your fun... but it will never work if she's unconscious the majority of the time.

Ginny tried to remain motionless, but the ice was stinging against the skin of her cheek. Blood was diffusing away, saturating the ice on which her face laid. Suddenly she was flipped over by some unheard spell. Ginny struggled to get to her feet, she wasn't going to just lie there on the ground and let them torture her.

"Oh goody, the Chosen One's little woman has deemed us with her presence. How lucky are we that she's actually managed to stay awake."

Ginny braced herself. She tried to push back her panic and search her surroundings for any weakness in her captors, any possible chance to escape.

"Well, you're just so damned predictable it's quite boring really. It's no wonder I'm having trouble staying awake," Ginny said spitting the blood in her mouth out on ground. "It's all _Crucio_ this, and kill Harry Potter that...don't you ever just get bored with the uselessness of your existence?"

She was irritating them. She could see it, plain as day, as their hackles rose in quick response. How easily they were distracted by their emotions and their pride. If she could just keep their minds off their plans...

"Idiot girl," the Chinese woman spat out. "There is no escaping. Even if you could take down all of us, without a wand, where would you escape to?" She asked mockingly as she gestured to the surrounding columns of ice. Ginny followed her gesture gazing up for the first time, seeing not just columns of ice, but mountains, steep sharp mountains. There was only one place where the sharp mountain faces didn't obscure all vision, and through this break all that was visible was snow, flat vibrant snow, as far as she could see.

Ginny tried to stamp down on the despair that was creeping in. For the first time since her chair had been turned into a Portkey, Ginny felt the siphoning of hope from her system. She hardened her face not wanting to give them the satisfaction of knowing how scared she was.

"This is going to be fun," Dolohov said as he and Navier began circling around Ginny, predators taunting their prey.

"Remember," Navier hissed pulling out his wand. "As much pain as possible... while keeping her conscious."

"Crucio!" the two yelled together.

Ginny crumpled again to the floor under the force of the curses. She whipped uncontrollably against the ground, as if that would lessen the pain, as if she could escape it.

The laughter of the crowd surrounding her would have never breached her realm of observation had it not been for the endless walls of ice covered stone that echoed and amplified the torturous sounds of their glee. She smashed her head against the unyielding ice, splintering it, and from the sudden warmth trickling down her face, splitting her skin. She ground her teeth together trying to control her screams, trying to hold her body still to avoid any more accidental injuries. She did the only thing she could think of, she cast her mind out, reaching for her only hope of solace, the only chance she had to keep her sanity, the only thing that could keep the pain away, _Harry!_

* * *

"What do you mean she was taken?" The Burrow was frenzied. If the sudden drop of Ginny's clock hand to 'mortal peril' on the old family clock wasn't enough, then the haggard, panicked appearance of Harry 'Perfect-In-a-Crisis' Potter was certainly sufficient to make the whole Weasley clan understand the direness of the situation.

The yelling, panicked and ultimately unproductive cacophony that had taken over The Burrow from the moment Harry, Ron and Hermione had arrived, cut off abruptly when Harry called out, "Ginny!"

His voice carried no note of helpless despair, but instead an air of purpose, as if he was calling to her, trying to get her attention.

"Harry? What is it?" Hermione asked.

Their voices were disembodied. Harry's focus was anywhere but The Burrow. He tried to reach out to Ginny, follow the mental thread that connected her to him. He followed the line feeling her pull to him when he was suddenly cold, chilled, down to the very bone and then it happened, a rush of feeling like he was suddenly surrounded by Ginny from all sides... from all dimensions.

* * *

In the foggy haze that the pain had rendered, Ginny lost track of time. She nearly lost track of herself, but then suddenly Harry was with her. With his presence came her presence of mind. He was with her, not in the physical sense, she realized after clarity returned to her; it was only his essence that was with her, but that was enough. It was enough to bring her back.

Ginny pooled her strength and felt Harry's magic starting to pool within her as well. She sent it to her skin forming a thin invisible barrier which helped to absorb some of the onslaught of the unending curses. The torturous almost blinding pain wrought by the Cruciatus curse dulled, but did in no way disappeared completely. Her captors were oblivious. She showed no outward signs of resistance, but began to recover her strength in silence.

* * *

"She's coming to," Harry said out loud, though his eyes remained unfocused and haunted.

"Ginny? Harry, can you sense her?" Hermione asked falling to the floor before him. She tried hopelessly to catch his eye.

"It's cold, so cold...I mean... she's cold."

"Harry?" Hermione tried again. His eyes suddenly focused and met Hermione's questioning gaze.

"She's fighting the darkness. She's fighting them. I have to send her more magic."

* * *

"It's working," Navier whispered directing their attention to the arms of their captive.

"She's lighting up like a Christmas tree," the woman said in shock. "This is what you were talking about, Navier? As she gets stronger..."

"...the Chosen Brat gets weaker," Dolohov finished.

"Now that she's been triggered, we have to make her keep drawing out a great deal of magic. The shield she's using now needs to be challenged," Navier said, an anticipatory smile growing on his face.

That was the only cue the surrounding Death Eaters needed to pummel Ginny's shield with more curses.

Ginny knew the moment they discovered her shield. She felt it sag with waning strength under their assault. The red and yellow streaks pushed angrily against her skin as if her veins were protesting the speed of the magical flow. Without warning, her shield fell, and the precarious strength she had gained during her short reprieve was sapped away. She bit down on her tongue, causing a harsh metallic taste to diffuse through her mouth. Her eyelids fluttered and her eyes rolled back.

"Damn it!" she heard Navier yell in exasperation right before the blackness reached out and dragged her under.

* * *

"Harry," a different voice was trying to pull him back to his body. It was older, calmer.

"Harry, you can't succumb to the pain and the fear right now. Ginny needs you. You need to wake-up right now. Or whatever you have felt from Ginny will only keep happening."

Harry hated the man for being right, for reminding him that the brief reprieve from the onslaught of excruciating pain said nothing of Ginny's true status. This thought more than anything else brought Harry back to consciousness. His eyes struggled to focus, noting first that he was on the couch now instead of the floor, and that the man's voice belonged to one Tiberius Ogden.

"He's coming to," Bill said.

"Harry, are you hurt?"

"Where's Ginny?"

"Is she okay?"

Before Harry could even consider which question to address first, Tiberius silenced them all.

"Harry," Tiberius started. "Have you linked minds and magic with Ginny?"

Harry nodded taking the glass of water Hermione had offered him.

"How is she doing right now?" The air seemed to suck out of the room, though that didn't seem to be a problem given that the anticipation of Harry's response had forced everyone to stop breathing.

"She's passed out," Harry said in a hoarse voice. "Her shield was numbing the Cruciatus curses; when it fell, she got hit hard, multiple curses... too many. I've never seen anyone hit with that many curses. I had to do it," Harry said looking to his left at Ron as if seeking approval.

"Had to do what, Harry?" Ron asked terrified of the unnaturally dilated pupils that hid almost all of the green of Harry's eyes.

"Had to pull her under. No one's mind can handle that. I only got the secondary hit of those spells and they took me out. I had to pull her mind under and hide it from the pain. It was the only way."

"You coaxed Ginny's mind into an unconscious state?" Tiberius asked.

Harry nodded. "It won't last long. Ginny's fighter instincts are too strong. She'll force her way back soon."

"Harry, is that a good idea?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a panic. "Who knows what they will do while she is out!"

"The alternative was worse," he replied emotionlessly.

"What's the alternative?" She asked her voice rising.

"She'd loose her mind otherwise, if not her life," Tiberius said gently.

"Now I can send her more magic," Harry said, hope filtering back into his voice. "She can re-boot, be ready to protect herself when she comes to." Harry proceeded to close his eyes and focus on building up magic within himself. His arms almost immediately lit up, red, as his veins filled with tension causing them to stand-out starkly against his forearms. With an exhalation he sent the energy shooting down his arms. He began shaking in response.

"Harry!" Tiberius called to him with concern.

Harry didn't respond. He fell forward resting his elbows on his knees and letting his head fall down. He shook violently as he let as much of his magic go as he could.

"Harry, slow down," Tiberius said, his voice filling with alarm. When he continued to get no response from Harry, he turned to the room at large. "He has to slow down."

Ron shook Harry's shoulder as Hermione pulled his face up to meet hers. "Harry, you have to stop. I know you want to do whatever you can to help Ginny, but...think. If you send her too much magic or you weaken so you can't help her replenish what she uses... that's all bad. If you want to help her, then you have to listen to us."

Harry pulled in a ragged breath and fell back against the couch as he cut off the flow of magic. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to ignore the tears that forced their way out. He felt a cold cloth sweep over his forehead. He opened his eyes a small slit to see Mrs. Weasley's maternal concern washing over him.

"Okay, Harry. We need you back. You need to focus," she said softly.

Harry sat up, reality suddenly asserting itself once more, and he went back to doing what he had been doing, pushing the pain and his panic to the back of his consciousness, his only chance at gaining focus, at regaining his reason.

"She's someplace cold, ice cold... I don't know, Antarctica... Siberia," Harry paused, realization dawning. "A place with no anti-Apparition wards... where they've been having secret meetings."

"Well, Siberia does have wards, believe it or not, there are a lot of Wizarding villages there, mostly because magic makes Siberia more bearable for wizards than it is for Muggles," Mr. Weasley supplied.

"So Antarctica then; that narrows it down," George replied sardonically.

"She's surrounded," Harry said, panic ready at the fringe of his artificial calm. "Navier, Dolohov, that woman who attacked us in China, others I recognize, some I don't... There's more of them than I imagined. I guess we finally have an answer... They've organized. The attacks against us were not random. They were planned out... there was some larger picture. They've been collecting information on us."

"Harry, do you think you could locate Ginny?" Tiberius asked gently

Harry looked up, torment filling his eyes. "If I could, we wouldn't be sitting here," he replied darkly.

"I think if you start focusing your energy toward following her through your link, you may be able to perceive a location. You have to try to "see" a location, to sense it; physical clues will only get us so far. You need to _know_ where she is.

"This is not time for riddles," Ron spat out.

"This is not a riddle. Harry, haven't you ever just known when Ginny enters a room, or just known where to find her in the Burrow without looking?" Seeing realization dawn over Harry's pensive expression prompted Tiberius to continue. "You need to calm your center. Use your energy to feelwhere she is. Don't try to contact her or send her magic. Focus your magic inwards..."

No one dared breathing. As Harry closed his eyes willing to try anything, he breathed in deeply. His panic, his fear, his doubt, all of it had to be pushed aside. This had to work. There was no other option. Harry felt a swell of calm confidence, a feeling he had not felt since his final showdown with Voldemort. It was from that center of calm, not his desperate panic, that everything became clear. Harry's eyes snapped open filled with that very clarity. His pupils contracted as his vision focused rapidly.

"I know where she is. I know it so clearly, so exactly...I can Apparate there." Suddenly Harry was aware of his body. Just in time to realize it was not keeping up with his mind and his magic. He was shaking. There were no red streaks of magic flowing below his skin. Instead his skin looked distinctly devoid of color. The shaking intensified forcing him off the couch as he seized against the floor.

Hermione dropped down behind his head and framed his face with her hands trying to brace him. "Help me," she cried to the others. "We have to keep his neck braced." As soon as Ron had Harry's head in his hands, Hermione snatched a blanket off the couch and shoved a part of it between Harry's teeth. He immediately clamped down on it thankful to have something besides his tongue to close his rattling teeth on.

After awhile, Harry's violent motions slowed to only the occasional twitch until he lay limp on the floor. He looked up with weak fluttering lids only to see Hermione's haggard expression.

"You have to stop!" she yelled down at him. "You can't do this. You have to slow down. You're using more magic than your body can handle. It's going to kill you. That's what they want, Harry. You're giving those bloody Death Eaters exactly what they want. What would Ginny say if she were here, hmm? She'd skin your hide, that's what."

"Okay," he said weakly acquiescing to her demands without a fight. "I know; okay. I didn't realize what was happening. I was too connected to my magic. Plus, I can't do anything now, I'm out, completely. I doubt I could so much as Lumos my way out of a dark closet... I have to recover so I can Apparate. It's bound to take a bit of magic to go all the way to Antarctica."

Ron helped Harry up and back onto the couch. "Apparate to Antarctica, is that even possible?"

"With a few stops maybe," Harry supplied.

"Harry, you can't just Apparate to where they took her," Mr. Weasley interjected. "Think, you're bound to set off an alarm and alert all those Death Eaters the second you arrive. There's no way you could Apparate in, fight ten or more Death Eaters, grab Ginny and Apparate out, without being followed."

"What other choice do I have?" Harry asked his voice calm once more. He looked straight into the eyes of his surrogate father. "If I do nothing... she'll... they're hurting her," he finished pleading with the room at large.

Mrs. Weasley sat down at the couch placing a comforting hand on Harry's knee. "It's going to be okay. We will find a way to save her."

He turned to her wanting to latch on to the hope she offered.

"I may know of a way," Tiberius interjected slowly.

"Well, tell us," George said impatiently. "What are you waiting for?"

"It's risky," Tiberius replied in the same infuriatingly slow pace. He turned to Harry. "It will take a great deal of magic. If you try it without enough magic built up, it will kill you."

"Just tell me," Harry demanded.

"You may be able to pull her to you, a sort of long distance side-along Apparition. With your connection and your combined power... in theory you could bring her directly back to The Burrow. Since you know her exact location, your mind would be the guide from here to there."

"Why didn't you say this before?" Ron asked.

"Because... imagine yourself in Ginny's position being attacked and tortured... She probably can't even garner which direction the curses are hitting her from. If she suddenly feels some magic pulling her away... she'll resist it. Splinching herself between here and Antarctica... well, there is no way to recover from that..."

"But if she knew," Harry said almost to himself, despite his quiet tone all heads turned to him. "If she knew what we planned and she went willingly focusing her mind on the Burrow. It would be easier right? Less risky?"

"Yes, if she were to help instead of resist, it would make all the difference. But we can't exactly owl her."

"I can," Harry said taking a deep breath. "It's only happened a couple of times...we've just started exploring it..."

"What?" George asked.

Harry sighed. "Telepathy."

* * *

For the third time Ginny pulled her mind back to consciousness, back to reality. She kept her eyes closed, and her body motionless hoping to listen undetected.

"It's working...He's still sending her magic. Don't you see it? He'll begin weakening now. It's time for them to attack," Navier hissed. Ginny purposefully controlled her breathing keeping it slow and steady.

"We just received word. Potter's no longer at the Ministry. They left right after you did," Dolohov replied.

Navier sighed. "We figured they might do that... the rickety house the Weasel-girl lives in then. That's where they'll be, annoying, it will take longer; I want Potter dead now. But alas, good things come to those who wait..."

"But what about the wards on the Weasley house?" The Chinese woman asked.

"We still have a few "reporters" who did not participate in the initial attack. And they, save one, will hitch-hike with Kingsley or anyone else who Apparates out of the Ministry. They'll attack when Potter is weak and distraught with grief," Navier replied not bothering to keep the glee from his tone.

"She's awake," Dolohov called suddenly.

"Ah, it appears she is," Navier said walking over to Ginny where he towered above her. "Do you think yourself clever? Do you think you've heard a word I didn't want you to, traitor? Do you think it matters if you know every word of our plan? Well, it doesn't... there is no hope for you," he replied calmly.

"No? There seems to be one serious flaw," Ginny replied moving to stand, only to be knocked back to the ground by Navier's sound kick to her gut.

"Flaw? The only flaw here, is that waiting is boring... good thing we have you to entertain us," Dolohov interjected leering down at her.

"I think the flaw is quite plain, how will you know when Harry has weakened? What makes you think that he will? You're sending your men off to die. That I can promise you."

"We can see the magic you've been absorbing. There's no way he's not weakening. Did you think the stunt with the Carrows at the Ministry was for fun? It was a test. I saw how quickly Potter weakened when he feared for your safety and he was only a few floors away from you then," Navier replied before absent-mindedly whipping a curse at her. The skin on her palms began to sear. She yanked them off the ground sitting up abruptly. She turned the burnt raw surface face up on her lap trying not to show pain.

"No way, huh? I guess you're right. I mean, there's no way Harry and I would have been worried about someone trying to exploit our connection... no way we have been working to keep one another from weakening," she replied forcing a sarcastic smile on her face. She knew Harry would be working to find a way to save her. She had to stay alive until then. She could do that for him. She just had to keep them distracted. The Crucio that hit her was expected. She braced herself for it sending some of the giant store of magic within her to her skin to absorb the curse. She barely twitched in response.

"Uh-oh, I guess your master plan may have a flaw or two, hmm? Seems like I struck a nerve." Another curse, another small portion of magic spent to help diminish it. She had to conserve her strength.

"Hmm, I think our friends may be growing restless," Navier said gesturing to the line of robed figures behind him. "I think they might need some entertainment..."

"Sure, sure, anything to break up the tedium of waiting around up here," Ginny replied flippantly. "But be careful, if you kill me... not only will Harry not lose anymore magic, he'll absorb mine as well," she bluffed.

"Like we believe that," Amycus Carrow said stepping out of the ranks. "You've always been a filthy liar, you stinking blood traitor."

Ginny pushed herself to her feet staring at the man who turned Hogwarts into hell. How had he escaped? She thought he was being held at the Ministry. Was everything falling apart? She looked up into the hated eyes of her ex-professor and spit in his face. The satisfaction she felt at the defiant mood lasted only a second before she fell in agony to the floor under the weight of the three-way hit of the Cruciatus curse.

"You idiots are going to ruin your own plan. You can't even control your own tempers to keep me alive long enough to even find Harry. Let alone try to "weaken" him and defeat him in a fight." As she whipped her hand across her head, it became slick with blood. She rubbed her palm clean on her clothes and the repeated the action trying to keep her vision clear.

"If you knew our whole plan you would be trembling in fear," Dolohov taunted her. "You'd stop fighting and give in to the inevitable. But, alas, we need you to fight us and use your magic so that Harry sends you more of his."

"Try me," she said reaching into her mouth to pull out a tooth that had come loose at some point. When they didn't respond she looked up. "You really think I will stop fighting, let you kill me for what... lack of hope? You lot are dumber than you look. You probably haven't even thought for one second what you'd do if you did manage to kill Harry. That's all you idiots ever think of..." If she could suss out their plan maybe something usually could come out of this retched situation.

"We have more than thought of our next step. We are going to take down each and every Ministry, one, by one, by one. There will be no leaders left, no Chosen One, no Ministers of Magic, no Wizengamot. There will be no one left to die to protect the so-called innocent; no one left to fight for a misguided greater good... nothing but scared, terrified and demoralized, witches and wizards who will be all too eager to fall into lines under our regime just to save their own hides and end the bloodshed."

_ -Ginny!- _

Ginny staggered back in surprise. -_Harry?-_ It felt like he was in her head, literally like his mind and joined her in her head.

"Does that sound like a plan to you?" Navier demanded.

-_Yes it's me, look we've got to get you out of there. But communicating alone is taking a lot of energy. I can't keep this up.-_

"What's the matter, little girl. Does the future seem a bit bleak to you?" Dolohov asked.

Ginny sent some of their joint catalytic magic back to him. She felt his presence in her mind strengthen.

-_Ginny. After I build up enough strength I'm going to pull you to me.-_-

"You know, maybe after your lover's dead we could find a place for you in the new regime," Dolohov said breaking Ginny's concentration. She realized she'd been silent for too long. She couldn't tip them off.

"Oh really?" she replied with false enthusiasm. "How generous."

-_Pull me to you? How Harry?-_

_-Long-distance side-along Apparition.-_

"Well, you are a pureblood, maybe we could use you... for breeding. You'll have pure blood babies and we'll raise them with the proper values. Seems like a win-win situation, doesn't it?" Carrow asked with glee.

"Oh, sure," Ginny said sending another bout of energy back to Harry. "That sounds just lovely. Shall I surrender now?"

-_When I've got enough magic, I will pull you to me. Don't resist, focus on The Burrow, your room, and follow the Apparition path.-_

She felt his solid presence leave her mind, though their less tangible connection was still prevalent.

"Surrender? What? You think if we wanted to take you right now we couldn't?" Carrow said reaching to run his hand through her hair before pulling it roughly, forcing her mouth onto his. Ginny sent some of her stored energy out, and Carrow flew back from her tingling with electric shock. Immediately she felt Harry push energy toward her, he must have felt her sudden expenditure of energy. She kept his magic only for a second, letting it grow, mix and strengthen exponentially within her before pushing it back. Then suddenly she remembered. Harry was already out of her mind, so to give him her last message she'd have to enter his. She pooled her magic and then reached out launching her thought directly into his head.

_-Harry! They're planning to attack The Burrow!-_

Harry was right, communication was taxing at this distance. Ginny sagged as magic left her.

"Look at her arms!" The Chinese woman yelled. "What is she doing?" The speeding red streaks finally stopped as they all turned their gaze to her.

"Perhaps she needs more than physical torture to keep her distracted from whatever she was spending her magic on," Navier stated thoughtfully. He turned to Carrow, "Perhaps you had the right idea."

But Ginny wasn't paying them any mind; she was building her energy sending what she could to Harry, but trying to store the rest for what was soon to be a very long trip. The circle of her emissaries tightened menacingly around her, she suddenly found herself flat on her back once more.

* * *

"It worked," Harry said gasping as his thoughts returned to his own mind. He sat up from his position on Ginny's bed. "I got through to her," Harry assured them between pants. "But it took a lot..." He lifted his hands watching them shake and tremble before placing them back down on his knees.

"As soon as I can get enough magic flowing, I'm-" Harry stopped abruptly reeling back as if he had been punched in the chest. Red color flowed up his arms rapidly and then abruptly stopped.

"What was that?" Ron asked.

"Ginny... sending me energy," Harry said turning his head to Ron. Ron watched as Harry's eyes lost their focus and his expression turned murderous. "That bastard!" Harry yelled before sending the red sparks down his skin once more.

"Harry, what's happening?" Tiberius asked, but Harry's mind was elsewhere.

"Use her for breeding. I'll kill those bastards!" Harry said before falling back under the force of the magic Ginny had returned. The others stared as Harry lay still absorbing the energy. The sudden pleasant smile on Harry's face came as a shock. "Ginny..." he sighed before sitting up abruptly again.

"He's going to give himself whiplash," George muttered.

"The Burrow," Harry said. "They're going to attack here!"

The room fell silent for only a fraction of a second. "Okay," Ron said with sudden calm authority. "We need to set a defense. Everyone but Hermione, let's go block the spots vulnerable for entrance, the fireplace, the outer gate, spread out and defend the stairs, so that Harry can focus on getting Ginny out. Hermione, stay with Harry, make sure he waits until he has enough magic; be ready to help if there is any Splinching or...whatever Ginny needs when Harry gets her back."

Ron watched as his family dispersed. He'd be damned if he let those Death Eaters hurt them now. Not after all they've already had gone through.

"I love you, Hermione," was all he said before running out of the room.

"How do you feel, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I'm almost there... I can't build up much more...too much magic, well, that's as dangerous as too little," he replied. Hermione watched in silent horror as distress clouded over Harry's features.

"We can't wait. I have to get her out of there!"

Harry stood-up closing his eyes as the magic pooled inside him. He sent his mind and his magic out fastening stronger and stronger holds on Ginny. Instead of the single thread that usually connected their minds Harry tossed out hundreds, each thread serving to strength his hold. He tethered her to him, thinking only of his love for her and his desire to bring her to safety. Some vague recess of his mind noted that his body was shaking, but he was too distracted by how he was beginning to get a physical hold on Ginny, he could feel his arms around her body as if she was a ghost that was slowly materializing.

Hermione's eyes grew round as she saw Harry finally begin to enter an Apparition spin. She held her breath, but as Harry completed the turn, turning back toward her, she saw his arms were no longer empty. Instead he held Ginny cradled to his chest. He lowered his head to hers to press the gentlest of kisses to her mouth.

On unsteady feet, Harry stepped toward the bed and then collapsed, his knees buckling, and he landed seated on the bed with Ginny still tight in his arms. Ginny burrowed her face in his neck unable to stop the tears. He had done it, he had saved her! To Harry and Ginny only one fact in the world remained, they were together and safe.

Hermione, however, had much more on her mind. Ginny was practically painted in blood. The skin she could see was pale and lifeless. Who knew what type of injuries she had. Harry's whole body was shaking, but he made no effort to let Ginny go. Sweat rolled off his skin, and there was a hallowed look to his eyes, brought on by the intense dark circles encompassing them.

Ginny's and Harry's minds remained intertwined. Harry was not in Ginny's mind nor was she in his, but rather their minds were still connected on some other plane. Instinct encouraged them to delay the inevitable disjoining of their minds. On this plane, with the support of the other, they were both okay. But even as they recognized their worry of the state of their health once they were separated, the force to separate became stronger. They didn't have the magic to fight the disjoining of their minds. Slowly, Harry and Ginny let the threads that tethered them slip loose, one by one, leaving only the strongest singular thread, the one that always kept them connected. Harry pulled Ginny closer to him physically in an attempt to compensate for the mental loss.

"Harry," Ginny said now having a need to use her voice to communicate with him. "You did it, you saved me." He smiled at her weakly. "I love you," he replied as emphatically as his weak voice could manage. Ginny turned to him in alarm. If she didn't know any better, she might have thought him a vampire, for he looked no better than death warmed over.

There was a sudden bang in the hallway.

"No!" Ron yelled. Hermione was in the hall instantaneously as two Death Eaters came running around the corner. She stunned one of them square in the chest. She dived to avoid a curse form the other. When she hit the floor, she could see the bottom of the stairs clearly. She saw yet another foe moving to attack Ron from behind, and she silently whipped a curse at the assailant. Ron turned in time to see the Death Eater fall stiff as a board behind him. Hermione's relief was stifled, however, when she realized one had gotten past her and was already disappearing through the doorway to Ginny's room. She ran after him at full tilt, hearing Ron clamor up the stairs after her.

Hermione turned to look into the room just as Harry released a stunning spell. The Death Eater dropped instantly to the floor at the same time Ginny's bloodcurdling scream filled the room. Harry too had fallen to the floor.


	22. Connected

Part XXII- Connected

"Was he hit?" Hermione demanded jumping over the unconscious attacker on the floor.

"No, he-he used up all his magic," Ginny's voice hitched as she fell to the floor straightening Harry's crumpled body.

"What do you mean?" Ron demanded entering the room.

"He's gone," Ginny cried a note of hysteria in her voice. "The thread that always connects us. It snapped. I-I," she was sobbing now as she pulled Harry's head into her lap. "I can't feel him anymore."

"What happened?" Ron demanded.

Ginny ran her fingers through Harry's hair from where it lay in her lap. She leaned down. "He's breathing," she said sounding shocked at the fact.

Hermione pulled Harry's wrist up pushing her thumb to his pulse point. "His pulse is weak, really weak, but it's there."

"Will someone tell me what happened?" Ron asked again panic taking up residence on his face.

"I-I don't know." Tears continued to flow down Ginny's face leaving clear tracks in the blood there. "He was really weak, and then that Death Eater came in, Harry shot a stunner at him, he knew the Death Eaters still had my wand. I don't think the Death Eater even had a chance to raise his. But then," a sob cut off Ginny's ability to speak, "I felt it snap," she finally managed.

"Felt what snap?" Ron asked.

"The...the thread or path or whatever that connects me to him that allows me to sense him. He's always here," she said jabbing sharply to her chest. "Sometimes our minds are joined and we're connected deeper, but he's always linked to me. I can always feel him. Now he's gone, it's gone."

"But he's alive," Ron said wishing it sounded more like a reassurance and less like a question.

Hermione turned her worried face to his. "For now," came her reluctant response. "Is everything else okay?"

"Everyone's okay. They blitzed us. Some attacked the outer wards at the same time some followed Robards through the Floo and some hitch-hiked on Kingsley's Apparition."

"What? How did they have so many in place?" Hermione asked in alarm.

"More of those reporters were Navier's buddies. Harry was right." Ron turned his gaze back to his sick best friend and distraught sister. "I'm going to go get the rest of them. We need Tiberius."

Ron wasted only the briefest second to place a reassuring kiss to the top of Hermione's head before disappearing through the door.

Hermione sighed turning to Ginny. The sight was terrifying. Her face alone was swollen, bruised and bleeding, who knew about the rest of her. Blood was matted into her hair turning it more rust than its normal vibrant red. Hermione's heart broke at the sight of her two closest friends in such pain. Would the violence ever stop?

"Ginny," she said tentatively. "Are you alright?" She held up her hands placatingly at Ginny's fierce glare in response. "Of course, you're not alright...Are you seriously injured...is there an injury that needs to be looked at immediately?"

"Right now," Ginny said barely whispering. "I just need you to help Harry. Let's get him off the floor. I'll be fine."

Hermione nodded and used her wand to levitate Harry into Ginny's bed. "What he was doing to help you...it took a lot out of him. It was more than a little scary..."

"He was using magic faster than his body could handle..." Ginny said feeling guilty. It was, after all, because of her that he had needed to spend so much magical energy. "I still don't know how he managed to maintain communication with me for so long...I only sent him one message and I almost passed out from it..." Ginny perched on the edge of the bed wrapping one of Harry's hands in both of hers. Uncharacteristic tears appeared once more. "I've never been more scared," Ginny said into the quiet room.

"Ginny, I'm so glad you're safe," Hermione said sitting on the bed and pulling her friend into a sideways hug. Ginny refused to lose her grip on Harry. "We'll help him...it will all be okay... His body is just regenerating..." Ginny nodded, not trusting her own voice.

The sudden cries of relief announced her family's sudden presence in her small room.

She let her mother and father pull her off the bed into a hug, but did not reciprocate it. Her family seemed to catch on to her mood quick enough. There would be no true celebration until she was certain Harry was okay.

"Tiberius, please," she said as soon as he was in her sights. "What can we do?" He followed her back to her bed where Harry still lay, shallow breaths the only sign that he was still alive.

"Ron explained what happened. Pulling you back took massive amounts of magic. It sounds like the last spell he did sapped the last of his magical energy. His body needs to recover. You could...when you feel stronger, send him some of your energy...boost up his strength...I'm afraid that the longer he..." But Ginny was empathically shaking her head.

"I can't ," she said hysteria making her voice shake.

"Can't what?" Her mom asked gently.

"Send him energy."

"Perhaps once you're stronger. You need your energy to heal now," Ginny glared at Bill for his suggestion that she get up to full strength while Harry lay defenseless and ill.

"It's got nothing to do with my strength...I can't find him...my magic, it won't...I'm holding Harry's hand right now, but I felt closer to him when I was at the North Pole or wherever I was!"

"The link is gone?" Tiberius's shock and concern did nothing to qualm Ginny's fears.

She could only nod in response. Tiberius immediately went to Harry, checking his breathing and his pulse as if suddenly uncertain. He sighed bringing a weary hand to his forehead. "I guess it makes sense," he said settling his weary bones in the chair near the window. "Your magic is drawn to his...It is the unique interaction of your magical energy to his that allows for all aspects of your...link. If he truly used every ounce of magic he had, your magic would no longer have something to be drawn to..."

"Before," Ron interjected. "You were saying that you were afraid about how long Harry will be like this?"

Tiberius nodded looking at the concerned faces of Harry's surrogate family before settling back on Harry's love and life. "The longer Harry is like this...well it's like a sort of coma...we don't know what a sudden, complete depletion of all of his magic will do to his brain...we don't know how long it will take him to come out of it...if ever. I don't know if this has ever happened before..."

The room was silent; Ron pulled Hermione's tear-filled face to his chest. Mr. Weasley wrapped his distraught wife into his arms, but no one noticed Ginny's eyes roll.

"Stop it," she said suddenly. "Just stop it alright. This is Harry, Harry escaping-death-is -my-middle-name Potter. He is going to be okay."

"Ginny," Mr. Weasley said pleadingly. "You need to prepare yourself."

"No," she said defiantly. "All Harry needs to do is regenerate a modicum amount of magic and then I can amplify the rest. I just have to focus. I can find him...he found me... Now go take care of all the Death Eaters and Ministry people in our house. I will tend to Harry."

With that she turned her back on their doubting concerned faces and spooned up against Harry's side. She barely noted their acquiescence to her request. "He's so cold," Ginny said to Ron and Hermione, the only two left in the room.

Hermione reached down and pulled a blanket over the pair of them and while doing so placed a hand on both Ginny and Harry.

"He's freezing!" Hermione said alarmed. "His blood is moving so slow..."

Ginny began running her hands up and down Harry's torso, using the friction to create some warmth. She snuggled into him as tightly as she could and focused her energy trying to find a way to send it to Harry. It was like she was flinging energy out into the abyss with no idea where it would land. Sure she could send energy to Harry's skin, which only solved one problem, by helping to warm him up. But sending magic to Harry's skin was not the same thing as sharing her magical energy directly with his.

"I don't understand," Ron said quietly. "Why can't you just send him magic. You used to always need to be touching to do that. Why can't you do that now?"

Ginny relaxed her face, which had been clenched in focus, with a sigh, struggling to find a way to explain it. "Our connection works just like any relationship," she said not turning to look at Ron, but instead leaving her head resting against Harry's chest. "A physical connection facilitates closeness, makes it easier to connect and be in tune with one another, but all of the real connecting, the true intimacy, is outside of the physical plane...it's more, I don't know...spiritual."

In any other situation, Hermione would have laughed at Ron's complete bewildered expression.

"For Harry and me it's all just a bit exaggerated," Ginny said in a voice highly reminiscent of Luna's. "Right now I only can feel the physical Harry. Without Harry's magical energy calling to mine, I can't feel him like I could before. Without that I can't connect to him on the level that allows me to share my energy..." Ginny ran her hand soothingly up and down Harry's torso and then briefly over his still features. "I know I'm probably not making any sense...it's hard to explain...and right now, I feel...loopy..."

"No," Hermione said softly. "I think I follow a little. It's like what Tiberius said about a wizard's soul or essence being the catalyst for their magic. Your ability to catalyze Harry's magic is dependent on your catalyst recognizing Harry's energy, without that you have nothing to latch on to...You two are interconnected, Harry using all that energy changed the balance...again..."

Hermione watched carefully as Ginny considered her words. Ginny's hand was absently moving over Harry's still form. It seemed this connection of theirs often worked on instinct, when they needed protection, it was there; when they needed to communicate, it was possible; when they needed to share energy, they did... it was powerful and difficult to control, but in the end it was natural. Whatever it was that linked them was something that should have, would have, progressed easily between Harry and Ginny over time. If it hadn't been for that pesky part of Voldemort's soul that had been in the way, they probably wouldn't have struggled so hard to find the balance. Hermione thought it was best to keep Ginny a little distracted, thinking about Harry of course, but distracted enough that her instincts could take over without her worried over-stressed brain getting in the way.

She looked over, and sure enough, Ginny was contemplating her words absentmindedly running her hand down Harry's arm and fitting her hand into his. Hermione watched surreptitiously as the smallest splattering of colored lights originated from the center of their hands before fizzling out.

Ginny was in a daze, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get her brain to focus. It was like that over-exhausted state where one could barely keep the dream and the reality separated. A dense fog swelled up and had taken up residence in her brain.

"Ron," Hermione called quietly, "Could you go get some stuff so I can help Ginny clean and dress her wounds."

"No," Ginny protested her voice muffled into Harry's shirt.

"You don't have to move..." Hermione replied dismissively.

Ron left, leaving silence in his wake. Ginny propped up slightly running her hands over Harry's immobile face. "He has to be okay," she said softly.

"Give him a chance to recover," Hermione said softly. "Let's get you cleaned up...I think you'll have a better chance of helping him if you can manage to relax..." Ginny brought her protesting body back to sitting, refusing to relinquish her grip on Harry's hand.

"It's not fair," Hermione said suddenly looking at Ginny. "This is supposed to be over. I'm so tired of seeing my friends hurt. Harry's not supposed to have to fight anymore. He defeated Voldemort, the darkest wizard our world has ever seen. It's about time he got some peace and quiet!"

Ginny shrugged. "That's not how the world works. Evil doesn't just go away because you've stopped it once. Evil is not keeping score on who's fought it the most. It keeps coming, over and over. You cannot defeat it."

Hermione looked at her incredulously. "Yes we can, we have to! You can't think this way!"

"No," Ginny said with a sad smile. "All we can do is suppress it, keep it from taking over, and as long as Harry, or any of us really, think that we can do something to keep that evil at bay we will. We haven't fought this hard to stop now. You can't retire from this fight."

"I know," Hermione said trying to get a handle on her emotions. "But it has to be someone else's turn by now, isn't it?"

Ron returned before Ginny could answer, and Hermione immediately set-up his materials on Ginny's bedside.

"Come on, off with the shirt; we have to get you looked at," Hermione said tugging lightly on Ginny's dirty, torn shirt.

Ron hastily moved to leave the room.

"Ron, wait," Ginny said pushing Hermione's hands away from her. "Dolohov and Navier, they were talking about some sort of plan...a plan to take down the Ministries...I don't know exactly. They wanted to attack all potential leaders...or something."

"Okay," Ron said. "I'll take that info to the others," he paused hesitantly before continuing. "If...when you can start sharing your magic with Harry please be careful, you can't help him if you don't take care of yourself. Harry's already surpassed this room's quota on martyrdom, alright?"

Ginny nodded. Hermione immediately went back to Ginny's shirt. "Sheesh, Hermione, calm down, what's the rush."

Hermione looked at her incredulously. At a loss, she leaned over and grabbed the small hand-held mirror on Ginny's dresser and lifted it up before Ginny. Ginny cringed at the sight. She looked like she'd been run over by a truck. Her previously white blouse was blotched with angry red circles.

"You are more injured then you realize right now. Adrenaline is masking the severity of your injuries; I need to make sure you are alright."

But Ginny had already set the mirror down and shifted her focus back to Harry. She closed her eyes and focused once more on building her energy. Hermione could have rolled her eyes had the situation been any less dire. She went about dressing Ginny's wounds carefully cleaning the blood away to determine the actual wound severity. She sighed in relief to find most injuries had stopped bleeding. She sealed the others as she went and bandaged one cut near Ginny's temple that seemed determined to keep bleeding. Once Hermione was satisfied that Ginny was okay, she made her way over to Ginny's dresser to find her a clean shirt.

When she turned back, she found Ginny's eyes still clenched closed in concentration. Her fingers trailed over Harry's face leaving a wake of dull yellow lights. Her hand continued rubbing soothingly down Harry's arm but it wasn't until she reach his palm that the light trail remerged.

"Ginny," Hermione said softly. Her friend remained unaffected and continued the pattern her hands were following. Hermione watched as Ginny shifted until she could reach Harry's other arm. The light trails grew in intensity, yellows and oranges followed Ginny's fingertips as they feathered down the bare skin of Harry's right arm, which had been exposed when he had ripped off the sleeve to give a healer access to his shoulder.

"Ginny," Hermione said again, getting an idea. She moved to the opposite side of the bed so that she fell into Ginny's line of sight. But her friend's eyes remained unfocused as if she was in some sort of trance. Red lights spiralled in complex patterns over Ginny's skin as if generating from her center. They spread diffusing into more dense and intricate patterns. Ginny's hand encountered his shirt again and the flow of lights stopped. That was the only confirmation Hermione needed. She reached down and began removing Harry's shirt. Ginny immediately curled up against Harry's bare skin.

The trails of light seemed to transfer from Ginny to Harry at every point of skin-to-skin contact their bodies made. As the weaving patterns of light grew denser around their bodies, the lights began to blur, and instead of individual trails of sparks of lights, an opaque cloud of warm colors surrounded them. Hermione had to squint to see through the light that was growing quickly in intensity.

A light had suddenly flickered, like a miniscule candle lit at the opposite end of the Quidditch pit. Sometime while Hermione was checking her injuries, Ginny's intense search had suddenly encountered the tiny warmth the candle had rendered. Ginny immediately gave up all other efforts, talking, thinking, even seeing, and focused solely on the candle. She sent her energy to it, but it was like trying to find her way through the department of mysteries. She simply couldn't find a path to the flame, she could sense it, its warmth and its light, but she couldn't find her way to it. Every now and again she would come close to it, only to lose it again. Then suddenly she felt a shift. The path was revealed. She sent her energy steadily into the flame, building it, strengthening. The path became a dam; instead of her magic trickling like water down a stream, it now powered out of her. It filled the air around her. Ginny sighed as her magic mixed with its true mate finally attenuating the ache that had nearly suffocated her with its doom.

The combined energy seeped into her skin, occupied the air surrounding her and diffused into Harry as well. Suddenly Ginny could sense her physical body again. It felt strangely separate from Harry's. The line between her energy and his became indiscernible, his mind and magic were as familiar to her as her own, but physically he felt leagues away. She shifted against him desperate to close the gap.

Hermione had to look away suddenly, though it was not from the intensity of the light. It seemed Harry had come to, for he was now kissing Ginny with such abandon that, even with the glowing light obscuring the couple, Hermione blushed. Hermione was torn, she felt like an intruder, but she had to be certain they were okay.

Ginny responded immediately when Harry's mouth met hers. Without hesitation, she equalled his fervour. At the gentle insistence of his knee, she allowed him to entwine their legs pulling them closer still. At first Ginny didn't register the meaning of the strange light headedness, but when she finally was able to recognize the need for oxygen, she pulled back gasping. She reached up and framed Harry's face in her hands.

"Sorry," he said softly. "I got lost there for a moment." His watchful eyes caught on the small bandage on her forehead. "They hurt you."

"You made it stop. You brought me back," she said dismissing his comment.

"No. You brought me back." His eyes were moving rapidly over her face taking in every detail he could and memorizing it. His mouth crashed back on to hers as if keeping any space between them was like fighting the force of gravity. Neither noticed when Hermione slipped out of the room and silently locked the door behind herself.

Harry wrenched his mouth from Ginny's having to spend considerable energy to do so. "You're okay? They were torturing you! The things they said!"

"Harry," Ginny admonished tracing her hand over the contours of his chest. "You are in my mind, every part of me is mixed with you. Do you even need to ask?"

Harry's eyes fluttered and Ginny could hear his train of thought evaporate as she worked her way over his neck. When she reached the junction of his neck and shoulder she elicited a reverent exclaim of, "Ginny," from his previously silent lips. She pulled back to smile at him and return her lips to his, but he pulled back slightly and frowned in disapproval.

Harry's breathing was laboured when he asked, "How can you be okay with what happened? You were tortured to get to me. They used you and our connection. I can read it plain as day in your head; you're not even angry or scared. Are you in shock?"

There was no way she was as fine as she seemed. Even as he tried to maintain focus on his concern for her, and other important questions he knew he should be asking, his body still moved softly against her shifting rhythmically, driven by some unheard tempo.

"Harry, bad things happen. Evil things may be targeting us. We may have to deal with more than our fair share of horrible people. We may have to fight for things that others take for granted... but there is a trade-off," she said empathically, her eyes penetrating his own.

"Which is what?"

"Us, we have us." With her statement came a rush of joy and gratitude.

Their minds were so completely in tune that Harry could feel everything she felt. She felt lucky . She didn't resent the cloud of evil that seemed to stalk Harry. She knew him completely. She understood his dark, his light, and still she loved him. She truly believed that fighting to protect the world from dark wizards and the evil they sought to spread was a fair trade if it meant having Harry in her life. Harry felt humbled and awed. The way they were linked left no room for errors in communication, it left no room for doubt or disbelief. She was not placating him, telling him that all was well just to make him feel less guilty about what knowing him had done to her. She truly didn't blame him, not in the slightest.

She wanted to be able to fight the good fight. It was worth it for her. Harry sighed allowing himself to believe what he was feeling, and with her acceptance came his own. If she could accept his role in this world, then so could he. He could sense her trailing his train of thought, as if she was walking behind him through a forest. He could sense her approval at the conclusions he had drawn, and was rewarded accordingly with a slow, sensual kiss.

"I love you," he said needing to express the sentiment out loud.

"I love you too, Harry. The whole time...I knew you'd save me."

"Just as I knew you'd bring me back from...that darkness."

His hands slid over her waist as he shifted to hover over her and she felt his surprise and excitement at the amount of skin he encountered. He peppered kisses down her jaw line to her neck and followed the curve of her neck down across the top of her shoulders. When his path was impeded by the strap of her bra, he hooked one finger under it and slowly, reverently slid it off her shoulder and continued the path his mouth had been on, making no other move to remove the garment.

His mouth worked his way to the shoulder and then circled around skimming under her collarbone down to the top of the swell of her breast.

"Harry..." she breathed out before pulling in another ragged breath trying to remain still enough for him to continue whatever predetermined path he was on. When his mouth reached her other shoulder, her second strap fell too, hanging loosely against her arm. When Harry encountered fabric instead of skin once more, his lips slid up her back and carefully unhooked the garment, removing it slowly.

Ginny's every response filtered into his mind. Her pleasure was his own. He had never before been filled with so much sensation, which is why he flinched in surprise when her small hand slid past the waist of his pants and his pleasure became hers.

"Gin," Harry said warningly reaching to stop her hand. But Ginny shifted then pushing him on his back as she moved over him.

"Harry...we've joined in every possible way, save one. You've been in my mind, my soul; you have felt my every emotion. It feels...off balance to not join each other physically as well. Don't you feel that?"

Harry nodded emphatically and swallowed hard unable to quell the imagery that sentence had wrought.

"I love you. It's always been you," she continued. "I can't stand the separation any longer." She paused refusing to let nerves or self-consciousness get in the way. "Harry?"

He kissed her as if she was made of spun glass, framing her face carefully in his hands. "I know exactly what you mean." Unable to verbalize his feelings any better than that, Harry kissed her as he let loose a stream of his pure unadulterated need for her into their connection, leaving no room for doubt in Ginny's mind.

He pulled back once more, reaching to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Are you sure?" She smiled at him before descending upon his mouth. He felt her hand carefully slid his belt free and unfasten his pants effectively answering his question.

* * *

"Umm wow," Harry said into the quietness of the room.

"Wow, about sums it up," Ginny said snuggling tighter to his side. She giggled quietly, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder. Harry's hand ran through her hair brushing it off to the side on the pillow, keeping it off her neck.

Contentment filled the room. The warm cloud of energy still surrounded them, warming their rapidly cooling bodies.

"That was..." Harry whispered.

"I know," Ginny said. "And you know I know." Harry laughed quietly; it was true, words were superfluous. They had discovered a much more effective means of communication. All Harry had to do was feel what he wanted Ginny to know and she'd feel it to.

Ginny reached up to kiss him once more and then felt a shift in the energy around them. The warmth slowly dissipated seeping into their skin, slowly separating their minds. Ginny felt her own energy settle into her body once more. Harry sighed, feeling his essence and energy become separate from Ginny's.

"It doesn't feel as lonely as it used to," Harry said.

"What?"

"Well usually when our magic's been that closely linked and then we separated, I've always felt...empty, but now I can still feel you, and your mind, it's like you're just beyond a curtain, all I'd have to do is..."

Suddenly Ginny felt Harry's more tangible presence in her mind, just as it had been before. -_Hi there_.- He then pulled back and her thoughts were private once more.

Ginny smiled at his antics. "You're right, it does feel different...complete somehow."

"Hmm," Harry agree trailing his fingers over the impossibly soft skin of her midriff. She twitched and stifled a giggle, which only pushed him to return to that spot. "I think we may have discovered the best way to get past a traumatic experience," Ginny said, literally flipping the tables when she tossed her hair over her shoulder to land on Harry's chest tickling him in turn. "But I don't think I want to share our method with anyone."

"No, no sharing," Harry replied definitively. He reached up to where she was propped over him combing his hand through her hair and then cupping her face. "Ginny... as great as I feel right now, we will still have to deal with what happened. Burying it won't help in the long run."

She dropped a kiss on his concerned face before settling tightly on his chest. "I know," she said softly. "I learned that from you."

"Haha, I'm serious," he replied.

"It sucked, you're right. It was painful and scary... and later maybe I'll have a chair-phobia or something, but we can deal with that when it comes right?"

She felt his nod and a burst of reassurance he projected through their connection.

"Besides, I'll feel much better once we've taken those bastards down," she said propping her chin on his chest. He looked down at her and she recognized the look, sheer determination. There was no stopping the motivation behind that look.

"Agreed," was all he said, the simplicity of that single word in direct contradiction with the strong, complex current of emotion behind it.

"You know these new found communication skills may have some fringe benefits," Ginny said as her hand traced over the ridges in Harry's abdomen. She experimentally lifted the veil between them and projected her want. When Harry suddenly growled and flipped her under him, she knew she had succeeded.

* * *

"Hermione?" Ron asked as she sauntered back downstairs and saw a small grin on her lips. "Are they alright?"

"Alright?" she asked trying to hold onto her composure.

"Yeah, I thought you volunteered to go and check on Harry and Ginny?"

She turned to the room at large. Mrs. Weasley was magicking trays of breakfast foods around the crowded living room. The fight had gone on into the early morning hours. Once Hermione had informed them that Harry and Ginny were both conscious but needed time to heal, they had all divided into the Burrow's many rooms to catch some sleep. Now, their yawning faces were staring at her in question.

"Yes, I did check on them," Hermione replied. "They're...um...they're doing well. They're recovering. They've probably expended quite a bit of energy," she replied biting the inside of her cheek to control her mirth.

"I'd say," George replied. Hermione shot a look at him in surprise. "Telepathy, intercontinental side-along apparition...we're lucky they've managed to come to at all."

Hermione bit back a hysterical giggled. "Yes, lucky."

Kingsley strode back into the room then. "I've just received an urgent message. There is trouble back at the Ministry. I'm afraid I need to go. Can you keep those men detained until we can send someone to fetch them?" he asked gesturing to floating pile of wizards in the dining room.

"Wait, Ginny said they are planning to attack the Ministries," Hermione exclaimed.

"Exactly," Robards said double checking the holding spells on the captives. "Which is why we need to go back and prepare for an attack. We'll strengthen the wards so that we are ready." With that, Robards, Kingsley and the rest of the Aurors marched up to the fireplace and one by one flooed back to the ministry.

Ron reached up and grabbed Hermione's hand pulling her next to him on the sofa.

"Hey, relax. It's going to be alright. We're out of the woods now," he said pulling her to him.

She sighed, allowing him to comfort her. "Harry and Ginny are out of the woods...for now... But escaping those Death Eaters isn't going to be enough for either of them even if they'd leave us be. They're just going to try something else."

"Ah, there's the boost of optimism I was looking for," Ron replied with a laugh.

She slapped him lightly in response, but remained quiet.

"You really hate this, don't you?" he said so softly that the rest of his family couldn't hear.

Hermione sighed. "I'm tired of seeing people I care about hurt."

"I know," he said tucking her tighter to his side. "Me too. I want to get you back to the point where the biggest problem in your life is figuring out how to take two classes at once." He sighed wistfully, thinking of their third year, the first time he had an inkling of more than friendly feelings toward her.

"That's right. September 1st, is right around the corner. Going back to Hogwarts is going to feel so strange...Especially since neither you, nor Harry are coming."

He smiled at her. "We'll make it work. We always do."

She kissed him softly, grateful for his strong, confident presence. He was right, after all. They had faced worse.

* * *

"What the hell?" Scabbior exclaimed pounding the suddenly free space before him. "Where did that little witch go?"

Rage seemed to bounce off the ice walls, only serving to augment the growing agitation of the huddled group.

"Quiet!" Dolohov suddenly exclaimed.

Navier quirked an eyebrow at him. "Do you have to yell quite so loudly?"

"What? Are you worried someone might overhear us?" He retorted.

"So she's gone, but we don't know what's happened to her or him. For all we know, we succeeded," Navier replied. "And if not, trust me they're weak. I've seen them after using their connection. They're incredibly weak." Navier put on a fake air of nonchalance. He was not ready to admit defeat. There was no way Harry Potter had thwarted him.

The agitated crowd seemed reluctant to believe him. This man was no Voldemort. If they thought for once he couldn't produce what he had promised, they would override him in a heartbeat.

"Besides," Dolohov said adopting Navier's cavalier tone. "The second step has already been implemented. Even if Potter and Weasley manage to recover, they wouldn't be able to stop it...In fact, they'll probably get themselves killed if they try...There is a new order in town. So quit your snivelling, we have contingency plans. There is no chance of defeat."

* * *

Robards immediately withdrew his wand to step between the minister and whatever foe had yet to present itself. He could find none. Not one attacker, but surely someone, make that several someones, had caused the scene before him.

"What's happened?" Kingsley demanded. Before him, the entire atrium of the Ministry was covered in sprawled bodies. At first, the only word that sprung to mind was massacre. It was as if all of the early morning traffic had fallen dead in the gigantic Ministry entrance, but as the initial shock wore off, Kingsley noted most of the bodies were in fact moving, though barely. These people writhed on the floor in pain.

The Aurors hurried to the prone forms nearest them. A woman reached up to Robards; she placed a clammy hand onto his ankle. "Please," she rasped. "Please...help." Her face was pale, her eyes sullen, she was cold to the touch...Robards looked to the others in worried confusion.

"Healers," he said through the panic threatening to block his throat. "We need healers." But then one of his Aurors called out to him. He turned to see the young Aurors point at several different wizards splattered throughout the room. The colour of their healer robes was plainly identifiable in the sea of mostly black Wizarding robes.

"I don't understand," the young Auror said again, but then he grabbed his head in pain. He fell coughing to one knee. Sweat broke out on his brow and he fell twitching to the ground. Robards hurried over to the man.

"What is it?"

The Auror's eyelids fluttered as he struggled to maintain consciousness. "Pain," he said his right hand grasping at his chest. Robards watched in alarm as the veins of the man's arm pushed out starkly against his skin. His body clenched and tightened, unwilling or unable to relax as pain etched plainly over his features. Robards watched helplessly. After several long moments, the tension seemed to flow out of the man, leaving him limp and weak. His shallow breath and slow pulse did not bode well for his prognosis and the young man slid into unconsciousness.

Robards whipped his head to the side as another of his Aurors cried out and fell to the floor. His eyes met Kingsley's, their expressions perfect mirror-images of fear and cluelessness. Before he could even attempt to discuss a solution with Kingsley Robards was overcome with a sudden raging heat. The heat spread up his spin and over his whole body. It rose to his neck as if he was breathing fire. He coughed as if that could dispel the heat. And then it hit him, the heat became a raging inferno burning every nerve ending in his body. Robards felt as if every muscle had tetanised, screaming panicked pain throughout his system, like some full bodied muscle cramp. The tension was ebbing, consciousness fleeting.

"Send the emergency notice," Robards gasped out.

Kingsley pulled out his wand conjuring a Patronus as fast as he could, no sooner had he spelled the message than the heat began to spread through him as well.

* * *

Hermione found herself ascending the stairs once more and approaching Ginny's door cautiously. She was suddenly reminded of a musical her parents had once brought her to and inappropriately she was singing a song to herself. "Well, you got trouble, my friend, right here in River City. Trouble with a capital T..."

She shook her head, blaming sleep deprivation as she nervously approached the door, listening in before knocking. She was overcome by awkwardness, she didn't want to interrupt, but she knew if she didn't someone else would...

* * *

Harry smiled as Ginny turned and buried her face under the covers, like an ostrich hiding its head.

"Harry...Ginny..." Hermione called again.

Ginny groaned and Harry laughed running his hand over Ginny's bare back.

"I can hear you, you know. You've got to come downstairs now. Don't make me come in there."

Ginny looked up quickly at Harry. Had they even locked the door? He smiled at her unperturbed. "I'd like to see her try."

Ginny giggled and relaxed down again once more.

"I heard that. If I can't get you to come down, they're going to send someone else."

"Hermione, go away," Ginny said jokingly as she threw a pillow at the door.

Hermione laughed at their antics. Happy to hear them happy, but she really didn't have the option of leaving them alone.

"Listen, you guys, we've got trouble," she with resignation. She cringed slightly as she heard the mood on the other side of the door change abruptly. She hated being the one to burst the little bubble of happiness they had managed to construct amongst all the angst.

"We'll be down shortly, Hermione," came Harry's soft reply. He heard Hermione sigh and descend the stairs.

Harry and Ginny reluctantly moved to dress. They moved, working together seamlessly, Ginny Scourgified some of Harry's clothes before handing them to him. After they were both dressed, Harry moved to stand behind her, catching her eye in her dresser's mirror. She made a face at her reflection at the sight of her unruly hair. Harry laughed and then his hand beat hers to her hairbrush.

"Could I?" he asked picking up the brush. Ginny shrugged and smiled slightly as he carefully brought the brush through her hair, more gently than she ever was on her own. She closed her eyes leaning back against him as he combed her hair down over the front of her shoulders.

"More trouble," she sighed.

"Yep, but think of the trouble if I bring you downstairs with..." He trailed off uncertainly.

"With what, Mr. Potter?" Ginny asked teasingly.

"With, you know," he blushed which Ginny found hilarious given the past few hours. He put the brush down and ran his fingers through her now detangled hair. Ginny's giggle prompted Harry to flip the tables on her. "With I-just-let-Harry-Potter-ravage-me-with-my-whole-family-waiting-downstairs hair."

Ginny laughed in earnest this time turning in his arms to playfully swat his chest. "Come on loverboy," she said with a sigh. "Let's go."

* * *

"So by trouble, you meant mass murder," Harry said sardonically plopping down on the couch. After a prolonged cheerful greeting by Ginny's family and numerous expressions of relief, they had reluctantly jumped back into the fray. There was no time for true celebration. Trouble was right.

"Well we don't know that they're dead," Bill replied slowly.

"What exactly was Kingsley's message?"

"It was weak and garbled, but it said there was an emergency at the Ministry, hundreds sick or injured. Can't find source," Mr. Weasley replied.

"Can't find source? What does that mean? Sick or injured?" Ron asked.

"That's why we haven't left yet," Bill replied. "We have no idea what we're going into, but if they are under attack or being held captive, sitting here talking about it isn't going to do them any good."

"He probably means source of the attack," Hermione supplied. "Ginny?" she asked softly. "Um, how many Death Eaters were with you?"

Harry caught Ginny's eye from where she stood, still tight into her mother's side.

"Um, I don't know, more than ten, less than twenty?" Harry nodded that was his impression as well.

"Do you think they had the strength to pull this off?" Bill asked of Ginny.

"I don't know. I mean they certainly wouldn't have been skittish about killing hundreds of people, but doesn't it seem like they were spread too thin. Ten with me, five to ten here, and how many at the Ministry to take down that many people? They couldn't have a force that strong, could they? The majority of Voldemort's followers are in Azkaban."

Harry hated the distress in her tone. "Maybe they all came together and then attacked the Ministry, or maybe there were more international Riddle supporters than we ever knew," Harry replied. Ginny suddenly felt way too far away. Thinking of her with those horrible people made him want tangible proof that she was safe now. His sudden longing to have her in his arms slipped out and passed through the thin veil that kept their thoughts private. Ginny smiled slightly and immediately made her way over to him. He opened his arms and she immediately snuggled into his lap.

"Navier has been exploiting his position at the Ministry for quite some time. Attacking the Ministry was probably something he's been preparing for awhile."

"He'll get what's coming to him," Harry said, venom filling his voice. It caused such a sudden spike of magic in his blood that Ginny could feel it, like it was making his blood boil.

"Harry," she said softly, her hands moving over his chest in unconscious calming caress. "Don't," was all she said, but he could feel all she meant. _Don't let your anger override your good sense. Don't let what they did to her harden him. Don't let hate fill you._

His hand covered hers. "It's just...I can't." _I can't stand what they did to you. I can't let them get away with this. I can't stand by and let them try to destroy what we fought so hard to achieve._

"I know," was her only response as she stretched up slightly to place a chaste, but emotion filled, kiss to his lips.

"Something's different," Bill said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion at the couple before him. At that, the tiny bubble that had surrounded Harry and Ginny keeping them oblivious to the world around them popped. Harry looked around suddenly wary when he noticed how intently they were all staring at him.

"Different?" Harry asked.

"Has something changed with your magic link thing-y?" George asked.

"Um," Harry said catching Hermione's meaningful look. "Telepathy has gotten easier," she said.

"Why? What's different?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Dad," Ginny said sliding off Harry's lap, but remaining tight to his side. "Harry had to tether his mind to mine, link us tighter than has ever been done to pull me back. He used all his magic to do so, and the sudden efflux of magic practically caused him to slip into a coma. I had to bring him back. The process, well, it changed things."

-_Do you really think it's that and not the other thing?_-

_-I think it's both, really_-

"Changed how?" Mrs. Weasley asked still not convinced this thing between them was a good thing.

Ginny looked to Harry as they both struggled to explain. Finally Harry gave it a shot. "It's like before we were flinging energy or magic or whatever back and forth, like two trains carrying the same cargo in opposite directions, linear. But now..."

"It's like the last piece finally fell in place. We've completed the circle. Magic can flow between us so that sharing does not lead to depletion of our own magic."

_- That feels right. -_

-_ After our minds had joined completely. Our physical connection needed to complete the circle.-_

With her words came flashes of memory and Harry shifted self-consciously on the couch.

_- Careful now. -_ Harry could almost hear the giggle that came with that warning and mock-glared at her in response.

"This is so weird," George complained. "Were you speaking to each other just now?"

Ginny nodded with a shrug. "This is going to create some issues," George mumbled.

"This is a good thing," Ginny countered. "We finally have some control of this thing. Harry and I can work out the privacy issues later... Hello, pressing matter at hand, drama at the Ministry."

"She's right," Bill said. "But we need more information."

Mr. Weasley nodded standing up looking at his eldest with determination. "Well then, let's go get it."

"What?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Be reasonable, Arthur."

"Just a fact finding mission. Our goal will be to go unseen and try to determine the source of the attack and then return here to plan how to proceed."

Harry moved to stand as well, but Mr. Weasley turned to him before he could speak. "The fewer the better, you are still recovering and we may need you at your hundred percent soon."

"He's right. We need you all to stay here in case something happens," Bill supplied. "Now, how are we going to sneak in without being seen? Is there a more secluded spot we can Apparate to?"

Mr. Weasley was shaking his head. "Kingsley said after they learned Navier was a Death Eater they increased the anti-apparition wards as a precaution. The only ways in are the telephone booth and the Floo network.

"Well Floo it is, the guest entrance would not exactly be subtle."

Harry watched as they prepared to go and bode their farewells. He didn't like it, sitting here while they went off, but he was in no position to argue.

"Not so much fun being the one left behind, is it?" Ginny asked him quietly after watching her Dad and brother enter the fireplace.

"No, it's not," he said to her.

_- And I understand your -_ "Point."

"Huh?" Ron asked turning to Harry. Harry looked confused. "No, it's not, point? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, uh, I didn't mean to say... never mind, it's nothing."

-_Seems we're going to have some kinks to work out -_

_- Practice makes perfect. If we get through this day, I may have some kinks for you to work out.-_

Harry sat down abruptly and surreptitiously pulled a pillow over his lap.

_- No fair._ -

"That's life," Ginny said.

"What's life?" Hermione asked absentmindedly. It was like the sensation of a word being on the tip of her tongue, but rather an idea what on the tip of her train of thought. She was missing something.

Ron rolled his eyes. "This is going to get old really fast," he said watching Harry and Ginny communicate silently. He huffed over to Hermione, and sat next to her running his hand over her knee. As he silently watched her mull over whatever it was that was alluding her.

George smirked as he saw the unthinking trail Ron's hand took on Hermione's leg as he watched her in concern. It seemed they had gotten awfully familiar.

"That's right," Harry said out of nowhere. "The other Ministries."

"We have to."

"I know. But how?"

"Would you two, please, pause and let us know what in the world you are talking about?" George asked.

"Sorry," Harry said without meaning it.

"I was just remembering that Navier said they would attack all the Ministries. We need to contact them," Ginny said. "But how do we do that without any Ministry employees?"

They turned to Percy, who had been relatively quiet at family gatherings ever since coming back from his defection. "I don't know. It was always someone higher up who contacted them. It would take forever for a letter to reach the right hands by owl."

"We wait for your father to return," Mrs. Weasley said her head still turned away from the conversation. Finally she got up walked to the other side of the room and returned with the old family clock. She set it down in front of her, where she could watch it uninhibitedly. "When your father is back, he will know what to do," she said as if she were convincing herself. "He and Bill are at 'work', and they will be back here in any..."

But as she was speaking, Mr. Weasley's and Bill's clock hand began to move; slowly, the hands crept upward before settling. Mrs. Weasley gasped as they all stood to get a better look.

Mr. Weasley's and Bill's hands now pointed directly to 'mortal peril.'


End file.
